I don't know if this post is allowed or not because I messaged the mods like a day ago and they didn't respond. But anyways I'm selling a bunch of my shit because I need money. You can see the pictures on my profile and message me for more if ur interested. Trading through the sub isn't allowed and I don't want to deal with shit apps like grailed or depop so if you are in NYC (manhattan specifically), I would be happy to meet up and sell you the clothes. I don't mind if you are a reseller and want to flip them, I just want to sell them. Willing to negotiate prices if you are buying multiple things. Also for my own sake I'll be interested in selling to people buying multiple items so I dont have to travel that much lol. Anyway here's the items:
Bladee Red Light T-Shirt (L) - Bought in 2021, barely worn, still great condition no defects (50$)
Bladee Exile T-Shirt (L) - Bought in 2021, barely worn, still great condition no defects (50$)
Bladee Exeter T-Shirt (L) - Bought in 2021, barely worn, still great condition no defects (40$)
Drain Gang Tour T-Shirt (L) - Bought in 2022 at show, lightly worn, great condition but some general wear, size large but fits a little tighter than the other Bladee shirts, somewhere between a medium and large (40$)
DJ Billybool T shirts (Gray and Purple, both size L) - Bought in 2023 on launch, maybe a little bit tighter than a normal large, barely worn, 10/10 condition pretty much (75$ each)
Back2Life Polo Shirt (XL) - Boguht in 2022 on launch, barely worn, no defects still great condition (no glitteprint peeling), fits more like a large than XL, still have sticker as well (100$)
Bladee Glue Vinyl - I'm a poser and dont have a record player so I got it just to keep in my room lol so still inside plastic wrap (I'll just throw this in for free if you want it has like no second hand value)
Ecco2k E Vinyl Rough Trade - Same as gluee, never played but the packaging I received it in had some creases (see photos), I removed the actual record and there doesnt seem to be any warps though. Still have sticker as well (75$)
Ecco2k E cd (2nd press) - Not much to say, still looks great nothing wrong with it (50$)
I also have a few more non-drain items I'm selling if interested, but you can look for yourself if you care. Also I know this account doesn't have much karma/post history in here but I had an old one with a lot more that got banned for whatever reason a year ago. I made posts about some soundcloud remixes I made that did fairly well (https://soundcloud.com/user-302832415) just so you dont think im some random trying to scam. Anyways thanks

Five Minutes of Recovery Later…
“Okay…Let me understand this again.” Reimu began. “Each of you noticed something was off with the moon so you decided to go investigate. And it so happened we all followed the same trail to the bamboo forest, and noticing how the night had remained stagnant the moment we laid eyes on one another we assumed we were behind the incident. Am I right?”
“Correct” Sakuya said, standing alongside Remilia. To her left and right were Marisa and Youmu, who respectively stood by Alice and Yuyuko while Yukari was by Reimu.
“Okay good, and considering we came all the way here to the bamboo forest of the lost means we can clarify none of us here has anything to do with the moon’s replacement. So, does anyone know where we might find our true culprits?”
No one spoke up, save for Youmu who timidly raised her hand.
“Um…Yuyuko-sama and I, when we entered the forest we noticed some lights east of here, but we were too caught up fighting to go check it out. It’s possible that may be where the culprit is hiding.”
“Oh, I noticed something too while making my way here, but it was a building; a mansion more specifically. I think the lights you’re referring to might be the mansion.” Alice said.
“A mansion?” Yukari wondered. “Strange, I never heard of a mansion existing in this part of Gensokyo.”
“Don’t tell me it’s another foreign noble who came from the outside.” Reimu said, making a small glance over at Sakuya and Remilia. “But now I know where to look next, so if you excuse me...”
Reimu moved past the group over the direction Youmu stated earlier, but Marisa rushed over and halted her path.
“Woah, hold on! What makes you think you can go over there alone, huh?” Marisa asked.
Reimu looked at her friend for a moment before replying, “I never said you couldn’t come, did I?”
Her statement made Marisa pause for a second, showing an expression that was enough to make Reimu laugh a little.
“C’mon, let’s go beat up whoever stole the moon.” Reimu patted Marisa’s shoulder and walked past her, as did Yukari. Marisa turned around, not going to let the misconception get the best of her, so she wrapped her arm around Alice’s waist and pulled her over while hopping on her broom.
“Marisa? What are you doing?” Alice asked with confusion.
“Hey, Reimu!” Marisa got Reimu’s attention, along with everyone else’s, “Last one there’s a Nuppeppo!” She declared before blasting forward, with Alice clinging on tight so as to not fall. Reimu saw Marisa fly past her, and instantly she knew the proper response.
“It’s on.” She said, running and soon flying as fast as she could to catch up with the blazing magician. The others did the same, not wanting to be left behind.
—
Somewhere in the Bamboo Forest, Rumia remained astray. She passed by the same boulder three times, and couldn’t tell which way was north. To make matters worse, she encountered a series of booby traps everywhere she tried to go. From constant pitfalls to makeshift ballistas that shot sharpened bamboo sticks; even coming across an anvil that hung high in the air above a plate of cheese for some reason. Nonetheless she managed to get through the traps, though much more fatigued.
“Ugh, I don’t know where I am, I nearly got punctured several times, and I can’t seem to find Reimu or the others.” Rumia complained as she continued flying across the stalks. “No wonder this place has the word ‘lost’ in its name. Hopefully I’ll find everyone soon.”
Despite her complaint, she kept moving forward, getting more lost as a result.
—
In an open area there laid a large old-fashioned mansion, surrounded by walls of bamboo at least ten feet tall. It looked like it was constructed the day before, despite its antique design. There was no wear or tear on the interior, no moss growing, no sign of decay anywhere. This mansion was known as Eientei, a home of rabbits and prominent figures, but mostly rabbits.
Standing by the mansion’s gate stood two figures in pink dresses with rabbit ears on their heads holding large wooden mallets. Though they looked human, they’re a species of youkai, commonly referred to as earth rabbits, or just rabbits. They lived in the mansion, spending their days relaxing and having fun, while also ensuring no one came to disturb their home. Their positions were that of gate guards, tasked to keep intruders out; however, unlike most guards they were inattentive. Their eyes drooped from the desire to sleep and thoughts of going in eating mochi with the rest of their peers further kept away their attention.
“When will we switch with the others?” The first rabbit guard said with a yawn.
“When when?” The second rabbit guard spoke. “I don’t like standing guard on night-shift, it’s boring.”
“Boring boring boring. Why can’t we have fun fun? I like to have fun fun with friends friends.” The first rabbit hopped a little.
“Friends. Friends.” The second rabbit tilted her head back and forth. “I want mochi. Mochi. Mochi.”
“I also want mochi mochi mochi. How how long must we wait wait? I don’t think any intruders will show up.” The first rabbit hopped and nodded her head.
“No no. No intruders, no intruders.” The second rabbit shook her head.
“Yes. No intruders-”
Suddenly zipping past the rabbit guards were a black-white and red-white, along with several figures donning different colored clothing of various degrees entering past the gate and breaking through the doors of the entrance hall into the mansion. Both rabbits gazed at the broken doors with stunned faces.
“Oh no.” The first rabbit said.
“No no no.” The second rabbit said.
The group consisting of humans, youkai, vampires and ghosts; whether partial or not, barged their way through the mansion. The rabbits who were casually roaming the place were caught off-guard by the speeding force of a three-quarter dozen. Many quickly fled out to safety, while those not as cowardly stood their guard with wooden mallets and bullets to spare. Yet despite their best defenses, they remained no match against what seemed to be an unstoppable force.
Further down the hallway, a couple rabbits, faster than others, ran to a particular rabbit that wore the same outfit as them, but had black wavy shoulder-length hair and wore a carrot-shaped necklace. Her name is Tewi Inaba, the White Hare.
“Tewi-sama! Tewi-sama! Bad bad news!” One of the rabbits hastily said.
“Very bad, very bad!” The other rabbit spoke as hastily as her peer. “Intruders intruders!”
“Intruders? Here?” The Earth Rabbit named Tewi looked at her subordinates with some disbelief.
“Yes yes yes! There are so many!”
“Very many very many!”
Based on their faces filled with anxiety and how often they looked back down the hall Tewi could tell they weren’t lying. Furthermore, her ears detected sounds of bullets being shot out, growing closer and louder. As was part of the deal she made long ago with the owner of the mansion, she knew there would come a time when she would have to defend the place, even if it meant giving herself so others would be safe.
“Okay, go warn Reisen and Eirin, and make sure the princess is safe too. I’ll try to hinder the threats.” Tewi said.The rabbits were concerned if their leader could handle so many people on her own, but at the same time they also saw her as commendable. They thanked her before making their way further down the hall.
“Okay Tewi…Stay calm and count on your luck.” She gave herself a little pep talk, taking a deep breath as she saw the figures coming over now. A few rabbits were trying to flee, but fell victim to their bullets. After a quick analysis of what she’s up against, she confirmed she was screwed.
Much further down the hall, another rabbit quickly and hurriedly went to every door she could find, placing seals left and right to ensure none could be opened. Though unlike most of the rabbits in Eientei, hers were longer and thinner, and she had long purple hair and red eyes. She also wore different clothes consisting of a black blazer, white buttoned shirt, a pinkish skirt and red shoes. Her name is Reisen Udongein Inaba, a Moon Rabbit.
“Okay, all the doors should be locked. Princess should now be safe.” She said with a hurried tone. “Master should have the preparations ready to send the intruders out. Just a little more time and-”
Her left ear twitched. She looked down the hall with further worry. Something drew near. She formed her hand into the shape of a gun, and her eyes glowed dimly. Then coming into her sight weren't the intruders, rather Tewi as she flew towards Reisen before falling face-first into the ground, sliding further till coming to a stop by her feet.
“Ow…” She let out a long cry of ache.
“Tewi! Are you okay!?” Reisen looked down at the other rabbit, her eyes wider than ever.
“I’m good, terrific. How about you, Reisen?” Tewi said with slight sarcasm. Reisen picked up her tone and got a bit angry.
“This is no time for jokes, what happened to the intruders? Are they coming this way?”
“Oh yeah, they’ll be here any second. Also, I think I broke a rib.”
“Eh? You broke a-”
She stopped speaking for a moment when she saw a butterfly-shaped bullet flying right at her. She quickly dodged and counterattacked by shooting a bullet out of her hand. The bullet flew right over where Yuyuko was, only to be cut in half by Youmu’s blade. Both Youmu and Reisen held their stances, staring at the other with an odd sense of respect for the other’s quick reaction. Soon after the rest of the incident resolving group arrived at the scene.
“Oh crap.” Tewi looked back and made an immediate decision. “I’ll leave the rest to you, Reisen!” She got back up and fled.
“T-Tewi!” Reisen called for her to come back, but it was no use.
“Is that the culprit, Yukari?” Reimu asked, to which Yukari shook her head no.
“No, she looks different from the other rabbits, but I don’t believe she’s who we’re looking for.” Yukari said.
“Maybe she’ll tell us if we incapacitate her.” Alice said, readying more dolls with strings.
“Let’s not knock her out then, we need her awake for interrogation.” Marisa stated.
“And if she doesn’t talk, we’ll make her by any means.” Sakuya said with a threatening voice.
“And when we’re finished, she’ll make for a wonderful stew later.” Remilia spoke.
“Mmmm, rabbit stew. Youmu, be sure to gather the necessary ingredients by the end of the week.” Yuyuko said with hunger. “Oh, and don’t forget to acquire some sparrows for tomorrow’s dinner.” Her request made Youmu look at her with bewilderment.
Reisen’s heart raced hearing what they had planned for her. She had to fight back now and give her master more time, so she did what only she could. She opened her eyes wide, causing a bright red glow which caught the group off-guard as they were blinded.
“Augh!!!” Some of them yelled, covering their eyes with their hands and arms. A few seconds later the light ceased, and when they uncovered their faces they were met with a dozen of the same person, all raising their hands as they let out bullets. The group, momentarily confused by the sudden number of copies, defended from the oncoming barrage, raising barriers while retaliating with bullets of their own. Soon it was like any other danmaku fight, with everyone zipping around trying to analyze the patterns of the bullets. A few of the Reisens were taken down, but most remained, still keeping the group on their toes.
While Remilia fought, she discerned something odd about her opponent. Her eyes, more keen than others, saw the differences in the copies, such as the length of the hair being a couple centimeters short, or the color of the skirt being less saturated. Making quick glances at the others, she pinpointed which was the real one, and immediately called her out.
“Sakuya! Attack that one!” She said, Sakuya looked over where Remilia pointed and saw the Reisen which Reimu and Yukari were up against. Reisen caught Remilia and Sakuya rushing at her with knives and bats. She knew she couldn’t hold her own against four people at once, so she had to retreat. She ran down the hall, as did her copies, all going separate directions. Reimu, Yukari, Sakuya and Remilia followed the original Reisen while Marisa, Alice, Youmu and Yuyuko followed a copy down a different part of the hallway, separating the group.

I was a damaged person. But I was on the mend.
I had a pretty traumatic break up with my childhood best friend, turned girlfriend. I had known her since we were 8 years old. We had been boyfriend and girlfriend since we were 13 and had been so for 9 years until my junior year of college when she cheated on me in a very cruel way. It came to light that she had cheated on me many times before as well.
I loved her so god damn much! I thought we were one of those stories where two souls were knitted together from eternity to eternity, or some hallmark card bullshit like that.
I was emotionally shattered and it took me a while until one day about 2 years later, I woke up and thought about her, but then realized that I hadn't thought about her at all the previous day. It was glorious and I knew then that I was on the mend. After that, my healing process sort of exponentially snowballed and I was back in the saddle as far as relationships went. I started going on dates and meeting up with women.
I was a software engineer working for a large corporation. Because I was good at my job, and because I didn't have a family, I was given the opportunity to move to Singapore and lead a project there for what would be a couple of years but turned out to be 7 years.
The great thing about Singapore is that they speak the "King's English" when they're not speaking "Singlish" (a patois of mostly English with funky grammar, but with Malay, Chinese, and Hindi thrown in). So I didn't have to learn a whole new language to fit in. I just had to learn how to translate Singlish to English, which wasn't too hard after a couple of months of trying. I even learned the lingo and it would amuse my coworkers a whole lot when I spoke Singlish. They thought it was hilarious.
I was a good looking guy (still am!!) but I really let myself go in my depression. I was a tall, muscular 210 pounds when I broke up with my ex, but I had ballooned up to over 300 pounds. I started a workout regimen and lost it all but the workout regimen became sort of an obsession. It was the one thing that grounded me. After I went to Singapore, one of my business perks was a gym membership at "Fitness First", a local gym franchise. I was down to my previous weight, but I had to practically camp out at the gym because the best thing about Singapore is the FOOD. The food is incredible! However, you WILL pack on the weight if you don't get your ass to the gym.
The meet cute
I was working out one day much later than normal due to some overtime on my project and I saw a girl on a treadmill. The treadmill was the one I usually use because it was in the back and kind of out of the way. The girl was stunning! The thing that stuck out to me was that she was had her hair in a pony tail through a ball cap, which is a look I find very attractive. I was a little nervous because, even though I was fairly confident about the way I look, I was definitely batting out of my league with this girl.
I went to her and chatted her up after she got off of the treadmill. She didn't look me in the eye and didn't really engage. I figured that I had acted like what is now known as a "gym creep" and I figured it was a "swing and a miss!" I apologized and said I wouldn't bother her anymore. I stuck out my hand and said "I'm OP, by the way. What's your name?"
She hesitated and looked at me for a bit and said "Lilly" (not her real name).
I remember this exactly because she later said that it was what intrigued her about me. At the time, she was an actress/model who had done some print/public billboard type ads, product demo booths at expos, and even a bit part in a local tv (Mediacorp) series. She had started to attract public attention because of these (mainly the TV show and the ads that were hanging all around town at that time) not just from men but from women too and it was super uncomfortable for her.
The fact that I had no idea who she was relaxed her and made her think that I was attracted to her for her and not because her face was everywhere at the time. After she told me about it, I did notice her face everywhere. But photoshop was a thing even back then, so I didn't recognize her from her ads and I really don't look at ads, tuning them out. I also didn't watch her TV show because it was in Mandarin Chinese and I don't speak or understand any Chinese, and I wasn't in a position where I was required to attend or arrange trade shows.
In the years prior to meeting me, Lilly had undergone a lot of plastic surgery (breast, eyelid, facial contouring, nose job, lipo, etc). She said it got to where she didn't recognize herself in the mirror and it disturbed and depressed her. She hadn't particularly wanted the surgery but she got the procedures done at the behest of her family who wanted her to bring in more money and the people in charge of her career development (don't know the term). It was all very expensive and she felt like she owed her family and the talent people who managed her.
Later, I found out that she hated the public recognition. Not just from men, but mostly from women who were really catty about her plastic surgery. The people in charge of her were pushing her to start singing but she didn't have a good voice and would need a bunch of training for that. She was depressed due to not recognizing herself in the mirror any more and didn't want to follow the career track that she had been on. They were pushing her to do more figure/body modeling which was why she was in the gym. She was SUPER uncomfortable with that and constantly hungry and pissed off.
She was afraid that she would do some more modeling and then get married off by her parents to some rich mainland Chinese man that she would be ambivalent about (she preferred Caucasian men) and she'd be forced to be a traditional pampered Chinese wife living in Beijing.(Doesn't sound that bad to me. Some of those Chinese businessmen live crazy luxurious lifestyles.
Since I was working a lot of overtime, I kept going to the gym later at night and we saw each other and I would wave and smile and she would smile and wave back. OK I was kinda hoping to meet her regularly. I spotted her on a couple of exercises and we began to chat with each other a bit. A couple of times I had to steady her because she was fainting from being hungry and working out at the same time. I used that as an excuse to take her out to a hawker center, which like a mall food court but with delicious local food (not chain restaurants). We chatted and got along really well. It became a regular thing until I confessed I had a crush on her. We started dating after that until it got to a point where she practically moved into my place.
She, of course, had her share of guys interested in her. She was on livejournal at the time (remember livejournal??) and she was doing that and posting pictures of herself for her career mostly, but I'm sure she did enjoy the attention. She had one guy from Belgium who was really after her. He actually bought her 800 thread count sheets, which is an oddly practical but vaguely inappropriate gift. He actually visited Singapore on business (he was a tech sales guy) and wanted to meet up with her in a public place, a hawker center. I still had trust issues from my previous "love of my life" betraying me. To this day, I cringe at my behavior at the time, but I laid down a clear boundary. She could absolutely go see and hang out with this guy if she wanted to, but if she did, she'd be doing it as a single available girl and we would be through. She said she saw my face "turn to stone" and it was clear that she would lose me if she went to meet up with that guy. That honestly gave her pause about our relationship and she really considered ending it at the time. I didn't know that until much later, though. Certainly, I'm glad that she didn't. She didn't go meet up with the guy. To this day, we call the incident "The Belgian Waffle". OK so I call it that, she thinks it's stupid.
Meeting her family
Eventually, Lilly asked if I could have dinner with her parents, saying that they wanted to meet me. I bought some gifts, basically Japanese cookies in really nice packaging, and then we met. I did the traditional thing and formally introduced myself and asked them about their family and history.
At the time, Lilly got some criticism from her extended family because I am a white guy. There was a certain stigma attached to local girls who liked white guys. They called those girls "SPGs" which stands for "Sarong Party Girls", a derogatory name for the prostitutes who would entertain British expats at after hours parties "back in the day".
Over the next few months, I won over her family mainly by eating their food and being accepting of their culture. I grew up in Texas, so pickled jalapenos were common in my house...like salt and pepper, we put them on everything. Later on, I was the kind of guy who put tabasco or sriracha on everything. So eating their spicy food was no problem for me. I remember us both going shopping at an open air market and seeing an older woman cutting up cili padi. I asked if I could try some. She looked at my pale face and then at Lilly and she said I could. I bit into one and chewed it up as the woman looked at me with an amused look on her face. She was waiting for me to jump up and down with fire shooting out of my mouth, I guess. I disappointed her, but she and Lilly were impressed. She later told her mother and she was impressed too. She wanted me to eat one for her as well. Oh well, trained monkey time I guess.
The real test came when I tried Durian for the first time. This is the same food that "defeated" Andrew Zimmern, the "Bizarre Foods" guy. I actually liked it. I had a D24 durian, which admittedly is like the "beginner version" of durians. There are like 16 different types. When you get past the smell and actually taste it, it doesn't smell that bad any more. It's very sweet and creamy. It's like the taste overwrites your disgust of the smell. I think that's what really impressed them to an extreme degree. They started calling me an "egg", because I was "white on the outside but yellow on the inside."
I would visit her grandmother with her. In true Chinese fashion, Lilly and her brother Johnny were raised by their paternal grandparents while their parents worked full time jobs, so her grandmother was like her mom. She was in an elder care facility at this point, though. She didn't like living there, but it was all they could afford. We would visit her every week and she'd be very happy. She didn't speak any English at all so she and Lilly would just chat speaking Hokkien Chinese while her grandmother would pet my hairy forearms like I was a dog. She was absolutely smitten with my hairy forearms.
Meeting my family
After a little over a year, I took her back to Texas to meet my family. It was quite the culture shock. Lilly was amazed by red barns and hay bales, black and white Holstein cows, things she saw in movies about the USA. She particularly was impressed by the cluster mailboxes lined up on country roads ("So cute, leh!") We actually had to stop the car and take pictures of her standing next to them, smiling goofily for the photo. I made sure to take her to the Texas hill country during spring, when the hills are covered with soft green grass and festooned with bluebonnets, sunflowers, indian paintbrushes, black eyed susans, daisies, etc. I had to practically hold her down to keep her from picking them. It's not illegal or anything, it's just frowned upon and tradition to leave them alone. OK, I let her pick some. Give me a break, I was in love with the girl.
Driving was also something that kind of boggled her mind. Texas is huge, and traveling from my parents' place to visit my brothers and their families was a seemingly endless trek. Driving from Houston to Austin, to Corpus Christi was crazy long, even with the stops to visit my relatives.
Lilly was practically agoraphobic at the big sky in Texas. She was used to being in a forest of tall concrete and steel buildings, with only strips of blue sky available at the top. In Texas that sky went from horizon to horizon. She was also amazed at the uncountable numbers of stars at night away from the city lights. She later told me it was like visiting Narnia or something.
In Texas, she got her share of looks from guys, especially in the bigger cities. I wasn't jealous. I've never been a jealous guy, although my experience with my ex "love of my life" really put my radar up, I still was proud that other guys were attracted to her. My attitude was "go ahead and eat your hearts out, she's with me!"
When she met my oldest brother, it was like a cultural thing with her, so she was very deferential and respectful. I knew that my oldest brother was attracted to her because he was stumbling and stuttering when he was speaking to her, looking at her but kind of avoiding looking at her. I wasn't too concerned because he was a married guy with 2 sons and not a scumbag, but it was still pretty amusing to see "Mr. Smooth-don't-let-em-know-you-want-em-kid" at a loss for words.
My parents met Lilly finally (she was super nervous but she did really well) and later my mom brought me aside and asked me if she should re-set her mother's diamond engagement ring. I thought about it a bit, and then told her "yes". My mom's eyes started sparkling with images of unborn grandchildren and she smiled bigger than I had ever seen her smile (kind of unsettling actually). My dad later brought me aside and basically told me I couldn't do any better and I would be a "god damn fool" if I let her get away from me. I agreed. My dad then told me something that remains with me to this day: "She will make your life sparkle, son." (she has).
Before our time in the US was up my mom gave me the ring and I asked Lilly to be my wife in a field of wildflowers, which had become her favorite place to be in Texas. She said yes. Looking back, that was one of the happiest days of my life. It was up there with losing my virginity to "the love of my life" (who turned out to be a duplicitous crazy person but at the time it was really special), my wedding day to Lilly, and the births of our children.
The Engagement
When we got back to Singapore we had to pretend we weren't engaged because I had to ask her parents for their daughter's hand in marriage. I spoke with them and explained how my prospects in my career were good. I told them that I loved their daughter and that my family also loved their daughter. We had to schedule a phone call between my parents and her parents.
I had clued my parents in as far as the traditions go. In Chinese culture, the groom pays for the wedding rather than the bride. The groom also has to give the bride's parents certain auspicious gifts. My parents luckily had done a tour of China a few years before and knew all of this beforehand, having befriended their local tour guide who was saving up money for his own wedding at the time. On the call, they agreed upon a pinjin, which is basically "betrothal money". We started to plan the Guo Da Li ceremony which would take place in 3 months time, and 3 months before the wedding.
Unfortunately life threw us a curve ball and Lilly's grandmother died. It was bittersweet because, while Lilly missed her, her grandmother had become very old and infirm to the point where her quality of life was pretty low. All wedding stuff was put on hiatus until the funeral was over plus 100 days for mourning.
After that, we were able to do the Guo Da Li ceremony. I gave my future in laws a red packet of money plus special cakes and 12 mandarin oranges and gold jewelry. It all went very well.
Wedding planning started in earnest. I got some money from my dad (who insisted) but the lion's share was out of my pocket. During this process I was able to meet some incredible people. The stand outs were Richard and Jimmy. Rich and Jimmy were tailors and dressmakers. They were a couple and they gave my fiancée a really good deal on a wedding dress and cocktail dress if she agreed to do some print modeling for their business. They also made me a tuxedo and a suit. I offered to model for them as well and we all had a good laugh at that prospect (OK they were doing most of the laughing - ego still hurts from that one, guys).
The venue we were using was Chijmes. It's the same one used in the move "Crazy Rich Asians". It was back when they had first started offering it up as a venue so it wasn't crazy expensive at the time. Plus, it was a smaller venue for weddings. Usually weddings are held in large hotel ballrooms and are huge affairs (this is what I was told). The families both invite everyone they've ever met to come: Neighbors, business contacts, everyone. They all bring red packets filled with cash. We opted for the "small" wedding.
The Bachelor Party
We had planned bachelobachelorette parties on the same night (separate venues). Lilly's MOH threw hers while Rich and Jimmy threw mine. My best man was my dad (because he's the best man that I know) and so cigars and brandy would have been disappointing to my work friends and my future brother in law and cousins. I don't think anyone was prepared for what happened.
We had the party at the sushi restaurant of a friend of Rich and Jimmy's. It was after hours. We had some incredible sashimi and rolls. I even tried fish sperm. Didn't like it. I asked Jimmy are you sure it's FISH, sperm?? He said of course he'd never do that to me. To be fair, it did taste and smell very fishy. I don't know how human sperm tastes like (or maybe I do now, I don't know).
After the sushi was done, it was time for the entertainment, and oh boy. Rich and Jimmy hired a trans entertainer who sang show tunes. The thing is, she had an incredible voice. She was obviously biologically male, but she really carried herself with a lot more femininity than I've seen from biological women. She sang and told jokes and roasted me pretty thoroughly. My dad was there and he thought it was funny as hell. My friends from work, especially the Aussies and Brits, thought it was great, my future BIL and most of my future cousins did too. Other cousins politely excused themselves and left. I think the free flowing booze and beer kept most people there, though.
After her thoroughly entertaining performance, it was time for the dancers. This is kind of where it went off the rails. Rich and Jimmy hired exotic dancers...but they were all male or trans. Now, to be fair, it wasn't like they didn't tell me about it beforehand. They did. Personally, I thought it would be hilarious to announce that the strippers were here and then have male dancers come out. I have a twisted sense of humor, I suppose. I certainly wasn't going to cheat on the most beautiful woman in the world mere weeks before our wedding, so prostitutes and female dancers were completely out of the question for me. They jokingly suggested male dancers it and we laughed. I thought about it a bit and I guess I'm "take-the-joke-too-far" guy so I encouraged it. Lilly knew about it and thought it was funny as well and wanted me to video tape it while it happened. ("Yeah right you just want to ogle the dancers" "Of course, lah!")
What I wasn't prepared for was the PLATOON of banana hammocks that marched out into the restaurant. Smooth greased up Asian chests everywhere! My dad was of course shocked at first and then looked at me and we started laughing and the ridiculousness of it. My dad stood up and clapped his hand on my shoulder and put a mock serious look on his face. The people immediately around me witnessed my dad telling me that he loved me and accepted my life style choice and that nothing I could say or do would ever change the fact that he and mom loved me and accepted me. Thanks, dad. I was laughing during the whole thing and my future BIL and work buddies who were around me were laughing as well. My dad excused himself and said he had to go find my mom and tell her the "bad news about her future grandchildren" and left ("Can adopt, lah! Can surrogate, meh!" Thanks for the support, guys). My future BIL laughed and said that since all of the available male dancers were at my party, there were none available to attend his sister's party, so she was "safe".
Among the highlights of the evening is that I discovered that a few of my co-workers and future cousins were in fact gay. I was told to stay out of the ladies' room no matter what. I wasn't planning on going in but thanks for the warning. I was proud that we all only vomited in the trash cans and not on the floor (what a waste of some damn good sushi....and fish sperm). Rich and Jimmy stayed next to each other all night. I even saw them holding hands and looking at each other lovingly. To my shame, I was under the common misconception that all gay men were very promiscuous and I kind of expected them to pair off with the dancers. What I saw that night was a very loving monogamous relationship.
The Wedding Day
The day of the wedding came a few days later and I had the good fortune of being the first one in my family to experience the fun and interesting experience of a groom going through a Chinese-style wedding. I say "Chinese-style" because while we did do a lot of the traditions from a Chinese wedding, we did say vows to God before a Christian minister. This was something she insisted on as her family had converted from Taoism to Christianity (but still kept the Taoist traditions and festivals).
First up was the gatecrash. I went over to the her family's apartment and the MOH and bridesmaids stood at the door refusing to let me in unless I gave them $9999.00. Nine is a significant symbol to them. It means "longevity" I think. So the whole idea is for me to haggle the price down by doing challenges and games. I had to do a handstand and walk with my hands. I had to answer trivia questions ("What is her nickname for you?" "Cranky old man" "What is your nickname for her?" "Baby"). BIL and I had to do "the worm". I haggled them down to $99 which I paid to them in a red packet. My BIL and wife chided me for not going lower but my dad was there and was in his 70s and couldn't do any feats of strength.
After I "secured" my bride, we did the traditional tea ceremony with her parents and my parents. Lilly was dressed in a traditional red silk qipao, tailor made by Rich and Jimmy. I gotta tell you people, the qipao really does it for me! Not gonna lie, it was like cupid gut punched me when I saw her dressed in it . My parents were pretty stoic throughout but my mom sympathy cried with Lilly's parents when she tearfully did the tea ceremony with her mother and father. We received red packets from each set of parents. I was told the red packet her parents gave us had most of the bride price we paid in it. Her mom gave her her grandmother's jeweled antique watch and my mom gave her a sapphire ring (sapphire is my birth stone). As we left her home to go to Chijmes, I told her "we're keeping that dress, understand me??" She laughed.
We got to Chijmes, did the photos and she walked down the aisle in a beautiful white dress with a small train behind it with sequins on it. My dad gave me the ring. He was my best man. He was my best man because he's the best man I know. After the wedding, she changed into a champagne colored strapless cocktail dress another Rich and Jimmy original. THREE wardrobe changes, people! THREE! All with different hair and make up and she did it super quick. I don't know what wizardry was invoked but we may be indebted to the hoary netherworld.
We honeymooned at the Fullerton Hotel. The old British colonial Post Office was converted to a luxury hotel in 2001. We stayed there for 3 days ordering overpriced room service ("Go to hawker center, lah! Much cheaper better food, meh!).
Emigration and Immigration
So a little bit before this time, a little event happened in New York. You might have heard about it. Anyway because some sexually repressed incels decided to murder thousands of people, USA's immigration was all jacked up. The INS went bye-bye. Then we had the BCIS for a brief moment, followed by the USCIS. I saw that my project was ending and my company helped me with her immigration. It was a pain, though. It seems like we had new forms to fill out every week while the old ones became obsolete. That's how I remember it, anyway. It was a pretty frustrating time and I almost had to leave her behind (it wouldn't have been permanent but it would be a long time). Luckily we were able to make it time.
For explanation purposes, we didn't get LEGALLY married in Singapore. We had the religious ceremony but no "government contracts" were involved. This is because, at that time at least, it was easier to bring over a fiancée than a wife, for some reason. So Lilly was a "90 Day Fiancée"!! We got married at the county courthouse when we finally were able to go to my new project. We didn't wait 90 days. We did in three (jet lag).
Unfortunately for her, we moved from Singapore, a 24 hour international class city, to a sleepy seaside town in the USA near a military base. Lots of fun was had with that. A total fish out of water story for another time (What is this "coin laundry"? Do you Americans have a place to wash your coins?).
My BIL got married to a beautiful girl and moved to Australia and opened a Bait and Tackle store in Surfer's Paradise on the east coast of Australia. He has 2 daughters. In 2012 he was caught cheating on his wife and lost everything. She moved back to Singapore with his kids, and he kind of struggled for a while. He got another bait and tackle store eventually and tries to see his daughters whenever he can. They don't have a good relationship.
Rich and Jimmy celebrated the decriminalization of homosexuality in Singapore in 2022, but they still can't get married. We still talk from time to time. Writing this, I find myself missing them. I had some really fun times because of them. I've never had better conversations in Singapore than with them while at Lilly's dress fittings (and my suit fittings).
We have been married for 21 years. She has never given up being a Singaporean citizen. She keeps her passport current. She's a "permanent resident" here in the USA. We have three kids, two boys and a girl. We are still married. She still wears her hair in a pony tail with a ball cap when she works out. She still wears that qipao on special occasions, which I try to achieve as often as possible. She's still my Baby and I'm still her Cranky Old Man.
Thanks for reading.

Hello everyone, i want to share my awful week with you. Sorry if my english is bad, its not my first language.
The thing is, last saturday i went on a date with some girl. We were in the mall talking and even went to see a movie, everything seems ok and i make sure she was comfortable, we ate some ice cream and later we say goodbye to each other and that was it. I thought "well this looks good with this girl i bet she wants to go out again!" but no. I texted her how she was, she don't even bother to answer after 7 hours, and i thought she was busy (it was sunday..) so yeah, no more text no more nothing and i felt kinda hurt because i don't know what i did wrong.
Yesterday in the school i helped some girl with a homework, later she says that a friend of her thinks i'm cute and want to meet me so i said "okey i want to know her", we were talking for some time me this girl and her friend, we laugh and share our interests and it seemed like a good time, we share our numbers and talked about to go out on a date and she agreed and that was it. When i came home i texted her trying to talk with her but she don't answer and i thought she was busy, after 6 hours later i texted her again and she don't even read the text (i ask her what was her surname because i forgot).
I'm a 18 years old tall guy ( 5'11), i go to the gym regularly i'm not big but i'm starting to look strong, i like to read roman stoic philosophy regularly, i don't fap since 3 months ago, i like to dress classic; i wrap my shirts and t shirts inside my pants, some leather belt and jeans/pants also i use glasses because of bad sight. I don't have many friends the ones i had were a bad bunch who like to get drunk every saturday so yeah. Things like this makes you cynical, sometimes i don't even want to wake up because of the loneliness. I see people on the street going around all happy but i'm the same lonely guy and it hurts.
I don't know, man. I did everything i was supposed to do and still fail. Any advice would be appreciated, i just wanted to get this out of my chest.

Carsons commented that Roxxxys look reminded him of Dolce and Gabbana (Which side note, I'm like... where? how? it was a galactic star print and DnG have been ONLY doing old italian opulence for like over 10 years)
This is such a small thing i noticed but it really got me thinking what other people think about this.
For those who don't know Dolce and Gabbana have been very problematic and canceled several times for tons of different reasons. My personal "fav" was when they said gay people shouldn't be allowed to adopt because kids need a mother and father.... I'm pretty sure it was their first offense back in the day but damn it stuck with me. They've also been canceled for calling Selena gomez to fat to ever wear their dresses, and an extremely racist chinese ad champaign in 2018. One of the designers was also caught trolling people who criticized their company. This is all just from memory if anyone else wants to chime in with receipts, get it girl
So yeah this brand has been hot because of the kardashians but I guess I expect more from gay people and from the editors of the show.

I finally did it, I got it done. I successfully salvaged all of my old collection from when I was a young trainer. I got into Pokemon back when it first arrived to the states, I was literally 10 years old when Pokemon blew up everywhere.
I have a bunch of vintage Pokemon cards as a result, and my collection was rather comprehensive. I basically had a complete collection of Base Set through Team Rocket, all in 1st editions.
Recently I finished a big project. I had a very minty 1st Edition Base Set Charizard. I decided to bite the bullet and go through the Grading process with PSA. I am here to share with you the results, as well as my story. Hopefully it will illuminate the process and help others feel more confident about what they can or should do with their own Pokemon Card Collections.
I am going to break this whole thing down into sections so that those who only care about certain parts of the process can navigate better.
The Lore: Card and my backstory
The Awakening: The moment the community rescued me
The PSA Journey: How Grading fell into place
The PSA Scare: Lessons about the process
The Grade: Grade result and thoughts on how we got there.

The Lore:

As mentioned I got into Pokemon when I was 10 and the craze blew up in the US. My dad was a big wig with Toys'R'Us and so as a child I got access to a lot of cool promotional material and went to awesome prerelease events. A bunch of this material hyped me up for Pokemon before it even launched some of its best products, and I was hyped and eager for the show from a cool video my dad got about the whole thing, it was Team Rocket laying down some of the lore and their struggles they would go through in the show as they talked to The BOSS!
Of course I had the games, Red and Blue, one for me and my brother. But I also had a bunch of money saved for another obsession, POKEMON CARDS!
My Dad collected G.I Joes and Star Wars figures, my mom collected Beanie Babies, and so when I expressed interest in Collectible Cards they were more than happy to support me. Because my parents were collectors, I had good habits. I loved playing the Pokemon TCG but I knew better than to play with any of my 1st editions. My decks used duplicate cards from the unlimited prints of the series.
It also meant I got proper binders and thoughtful binder pagers that tried to avoid 3 ring binder issues, while still using 3 ring binders. This was an admitted weakness, but thankfully only a few common cards were subject to light damage from these rings, my binder pages gave enough room that they were relatively safe from the rings.
However, my other weakness was not using Penny Sleeves. Although the cards were kept away, they also did get shown off a handful of times. Charizard was always epic, and the card always sought after. So he got some time in the spotlight, but was always handled with care and after the Jungle series came out he was basically locked away from any showings as well, becoming a precious treasure kept in the dark.
After the Team Rocket series released for the Pokemon TCG I started to lose interest in playing. I had gotten a game boy version of the card game and it was FUN. But also burned me out after I was done. So I also stopped collecting around then. But I felt satiated. I had several complete collections, my brother even had his own full 1st Edition Base Set. I had pulled each card from a pack myself.
My parents helped me store the collection in secure containers and I stopped even admiring them a month or so later, my attention caught up in other serious matters.
My family and I moved to Arizona, and I knew where we kept the cards but never took them out. Eventually it was time for me to move to college and I knew better than to bring anything of serious value with me so I left my collection with my parents.
My parents ended up parting ways,, one staying in Arizona and one going to Texas. I was going through a bunch of my own growth and adventures so I wasn't there to help divide things up. I honestly had no idea where my collection was at this point but wasn't too worried.
It was my mom that thankfully had kept the collection in her mind. She went through a bunch of moves, as did my dad in Texas. Finally it was me though, that got some roots grounded and my life together, just took me until my late 20's. I recalled my old collection and asked my mom about it one day. She had to resort to her collection a few times for money, my brothers collection had become hers because he didn't care about Pokemon or the value of cards. Some of the best gems had been picked clean, no one giving her their fair value. I asked her if she knew where my collection was.
We tracked it down with my Dad in Texas, a blessing as the climate there helped keep the collection from any sort of damage. Although they had always been in a binder and always in secure containers, my biggest worry about the collection was the lack of climate control through out the years.
But as I picked through the collection, everything looked fantastic! I got my collection home and safely locked it away. However, I did nothing about it. I was scared of touching the cards or removing them from their binder. I had a grounded life but very little time to research the appropriate way to store or treat older cards and I decided if I couldn't do it right I would just keep them safe. I had taken a few pictures because an associate I knew had some serious cash and was interested in buying Charizard.
I took Charizard out of the binder, snapped some quick pictures, and gingerly put it back into safety. The associate tried to lowball me with an offer of a couple hundred bucks, said it wouldn't grade well, and we didn't do business.
I looked into what it might cost to grade Charizard with PSA, and at the time, the materials and website made it sound like in order to grade it, I would have to pay the costs of the value found for the highest grade just to get my card looked at. ((I would later find I was wrong about this)). But the highest grade for Charizard is worth hundreds of thousands. That would have made the grading fee almost $4000! That was not something I could afford just to see if the card would grade well, plus the idea of shipping such a valuable treasure terrified me. So I decided grading was out of my ability and forgot about the treasures as best I could. But I would wake up with night terrors sometimes and spend the rest of the night dreading things, was I making a mistake with my collection? Was it slowly getting even worse for wear? Did I have an opportunity I was wasting?
I had plenty else to fear in my world at the time so I never spent energy addressing these insecurities and anxieties regarding my collection. Five more years went by...

The Awakening:

Three months ago I was having a hard night. I was sifting through my phone and came across the few pictures I had taken of Charizard. I had the Reddit app, and normally I only use it for researching video game mechanics. But I was feeling inspired and confident in the reddit community. I had posted a picture of Charizard before on Instagram and Facebook but...those places are pretty dead! But when I posted my picture into Pokemoncardappraisal I was swarmed with positive advice and guidance! There were also plenty of private messages and I knew they weren't wise offers to take but I was floored just how much higher they still were than my previous experience being offered cash for this card.
Huge important lessons leveled up my brain here. We are talking about finally understanding toploaders, the metrics they judge a card over, how a card actually ages over time, how minty* my Charizard was and most importantly that PSA will upcharge you if they find your card to be more valuable than what you paid for.
I had been previously worried about things like "if I don't pay for the right service level, maybe they wont even give me a good grade" but knowing they would just ask for more money actually took a weight off my mind.
I ordered a bunch of penny sleeves and toploaders and began the slow and careful process of removing my precious gems from their former tombs and into proper protection that made it easier to display and store in a fancy new toploader chest. I took the time to carefully look over each card and try to assess what was worth sending in. The undisputable option still remained though, Charizard. Now that it was in a toploader it was much easier for me to scrutinize, and while putting it into the top loader I had a lot more knowledge under my belt and got a better idea of the condition. I also took a bunch more pictures to share.
The verdict was in, Charizard was valuable enough for the effort of a grade and in such stellar condition that it would be almost irresponsible to never try. I had the knowledge and experience to handle my gems responsibly and set to work making a plan.

The PSA Journey:

There were still serious concerns that had to be addressed. I had worked for both the Post Office and UPS, and I was not willing to risk shipping such a valuable card. Insurance doesn't work the way people think with shipping. You cannot just pay money and insure a stick for $10,000, have it get lost or damaged and then cash in on your claim. That would be insurance fraud.
These insurance companies will fight hard to avoid paying out in full. I have watched them fight bitterly against a $200 claim over a gold necklace that had receipts and everything to make value easy. But to these companies the value is always subjective and up for debate. So imagine the field day they would have over fighting an Ungraded Pokemon card!
Then there was the theft potential, so many extra hands and processes worried me a great deal and created nefarious opportunity, no matter how slim.
I tried asking PSA if they would allow me to do an in person drop off at their facility. But I was told I would have already had to have graded 3 - 5 cards with them before they even considered allowing me to use that option.
But there was a solution. I had never considered card shows or events. PSA has a newsletter you can sign up for that alerts you to upcoming events. I simply had to wait for one to appear in my area that allowed drop off or in person grading.
It only took a couple months and a card event cropped up an hour away from me. This was my chance. I prepared 33 of my best looking cards along with my Charizard and got ready.
This event had several advantages, one of which being a faster turn around time. Most importantly, according to PSA themselves, once you drop off a card at the event, THEIR insurance takes over right away! This meant not having to pay out money for shipping insurance through a carrier. It also means if you valued your card correctly and had documentation on the condition you would very realistically get a proper pay out as PSA understands cards and their value way more than your typical company. So if someone stole it or damaged it I could realistically be made more whole.
So all I had to do was fill out a Submission form on their website, but instead of packaging it for shipping I only had to bring my cards and paperwork, they were going to package it themselves and bring it back with them the next day on a plane to Headquarters.
So now the time came to make a big choice. *What level of service and insurance should I get? The service level dictates the insurance level. *
The service level called "Premium 3" costs $2,499. This service level gives an insurance value of $100,000, the next level is ((oddly)) called "Premium 5" which gives $250,000 insurance and costs $3,999. Charizard at a PSA 10 is worth around $250,000. I wasn't sure if my Charizard could get a 10, but this is where I run into a problem.
Ideally I wanted to insure it for the maximum value so that if something happened I could still be made whole. But keep in mind PSA does not refund your money if they determine your card isn't as valuable as you declared. They are happy to upcharge your costs to the correct value but if they determine the value to be lower you get nothing back. So I had to be very very confident in a 10 if I was to choose to insure it at this level, and at a cost of almost $4,000.
I couldn't do it. Couldn't afford it despite the potential, not at that high of a level.
So what I did was choose "Walk-Through" which has an insurance value of $10,000 and cost $500. Despite what the name implies, it does not mean you get to walk in your card to the facility. Just a name. $10,000 was enough insurance to cover the value of most Grades of Charizard, 1-7 are very comfortably under 10k in value. I could see some light wear on my Charizard, just the slightest of whitening on the back, and a small holo scratch that might be there but wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light or on the case. I was confident my chances of a 10 Grade were near zero but I also wasn't sure how harsh they were going to judge my vintage card. Word was vintage is graded pretty harshly. So I settled my hopes, insured it for $10,000, and dropped it off at the event with my other cards and paperwork.
They had cameras watching their every move, it was a very safe environment to drop off valuables. They were being tracked at every moment, and it was good to see. They made sure my paperwork was in order, that my cards were in a Rigid Card Saver I, and safely secured the goods before my eyes and gave me signed paperwork of who had processed me and all that.
I did not have to pay a cent to drop it off. They needed payment information when I filled out my online forms, but they do not charge you until they finish grading your card.
That was that. I had done it. I had finally dropped The Grail of all Pokemon Cards off on its journey to get graded and preserved. My anxiety levels lowered a bit, but were still high. There was a lot potentially riding on this.

The PSA Scare:

I feel it is important I mention I had been using the PSA App for everything up to this point. Charizard took a while to arrive in the database as received. I dropped it off on the 18th and received notice my other 32 cards were received on the 24th but not Charizard. It wasn't until the 28th that I finally saw progress in the App that Charizard was received. It makes sense that the different service levels are processed at different speeds, but I had thought since it all went in together it would be marked received together.
But no biggie, first little scare over, Charizard got there and is being tracked. But then the 31st arrives...
I look into the PSA App and see it is in the Grading stage, it passed research and identification no problem...and now there was a picture available. Now when you look at these pictures ON THE APP, you will just see a picture. But when you look at these pictures on a WEBSITE you get an important note that I did not get to see, that warns "Scans are taken inside of their holders" meaning what they had shipped in.
Now I wasn't aware of this fact since I was using the APP, and the scan of my Charizard looked AWFUL. And it very much looked like there was cardboard damage, like something had picked or poked my card. If there had been a warning in the APP like on the WEBSITE I would have easily concluded this was due to a bad scanner. But my service level also said I would get "Premium" high quality images so I trusted what my eyes were seeing.
I took to reddit to panic, seen here Look what PSA did to my Charizard and once again the community came in with fantastic advice and guidance on what they had gone through. They helped me realize it was a bad scan and that there was a warning about in on the website but not the app.
I am happy to report that since that scare I have received my card and physically confirmed in person that there was no damage, my card looks as clean as when I had sent it in.
I chose the most expensive shipping for returning to me called "Preferred shipping", which ended up being Fedex. They delivered it in the middle of the day, requiring a signature...but they did not ask for my name or require an ID.

The Grade:

So now we come to the conclusion of my tale. After all this work, all this stress, all this community bolstering, hopes and dreams...what came of it? What was the result and what is my personal takeaway? Well my 1st Edition Base Set #4 Charizard graded as a PSA 8. PSA's website calculates the "PSA Price" for a Grade 8 Charizard as $10,600, with an "average price" listed as $11,104.50
So even though I paid for a service level that only handled cards up to a value of $10,000, and PSAs own price for a Grade 8 is listed as $10,600, I did not get upcharged. According to their rules, they could have upcharged me for the next service level above Walk-through. But despite going over, I was given mercy!
Since my card is now properly preserved I was able to take it out into the sunlight and give it a strong examination with strong light. Besides the whitening on the back, I also see a couple of holo scratches, although I do still have the slab in the plastic they wrap around it for shipping, so it could just be on that.
However, given these circumstances I find it fascinating that I still got an 8. Pouring over Grading posts and examining cards sent to PSA and judged by other users I thought for certain a vintage card like mine would be graded rather harshly, and that PSA would not miss a chance to upcharge me.
Overall I feel like I got away with a strong grade and was given plenty of grace, both in the value of the service and the flexibility the minor wear deducted from my grade. I have always maintained that the odds for 10 were almost in the negatives, it just wasn't given expert worship its whole life, just passionate respect and care. So knowing my card had a few minor flaws my expectations were steeled for at best a 9, thinking it would at least Grade above a 5. Hitting Grade 8 feels fantastic.
I feel like for getting this card myself as a child, and a pretty young one at that, and all the travel, moves and scares this card came out phenomenally. I am ecstatic that my super rare card is now ultra protected, authenticated, and sealed from a majority of dangers that worried me before.
I will happily continue using PSA, who has astounding customer service and a support center that contains questions and guidance about things I wasn't even aware I should consider or expect. The whole process can feel very overwhelming and it is absolutely one of those things that you have to just do a few times before it all starts clicking together in your head.
I am eager to see what my other 32 cards are going to grade as, and have high hopes after seeing what my Charizard ended up scoring, many of the cards I sent in were in even better condition. I look forward to slowly working towards upgrading my completed collections into graded completed collections, perhaps even entirely sequentially graded.
Feel free to ask me any questions you can think of, and I will happily answer. I owe a lot to the community for giving me the courage and inspiration to tackle this project despite the pitfalls and anxiety traps, to overcome all of the unknowns and do something worth while not just monetarily but to preserve a precious piece of Pokemon history!
Thank you for taking the time to read and experience my journey, I hope I have inspired confidence and passion in some of you, perhaps eased your own anxieties about partaking in the grading process, and to just continue enjoying this hobby we all love so much.
Speaking as a Pokemon fan and trainer thats been around from the very start of the fandom, that has gone from being an excited kid to an awe struck adult, it has been incredibly beautiful to see our community grow, to see the fandom blossom and expand into so many avenues and games that have brought unmeasured joy to so many of us. It is a delight to see the card game I loved so much has never slowed down and I cannot wait to continue sharing that love with new pokemon fans, my own children rapidly becoming strong trainers of their own.
Thanks for getting this far. Have a fantastic day Poke Pals.

It's been a couple days since my last post because it took me so long to get everything down that happened just between the time I woke up and lunch on Saturday. I'd like to tell you that the rest of the weekend went by with less going on but that's just not so. Oh, and since it's Friday I can tell you that things just keep getting stranger, but I'm not going to jump ahead. Here's the first half of Saturday, I'm working on the second half.
Saturday Morning
I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing and immediately noticed that the sun was high enough that light was pouring through my windows. Since I normally wake up before the sun rises, I was a little disoriented as I grabbed my phone and fumbled to answer it.
It was Emily, letting me know she’d be at my apartment in 30 minutes and asking if I wanted her to pick anything up. I told her I was fine but that if she wanted anything other than black coffee, she should stop on the way, I’d pay her back. She thanked me, said she’d swing by the grocery store on the way, and hung up.
I looked at my phone and saw it was around 7:45. I ran the dogs downstairs quickly so they could do their business. The first thing I noticed was that Craig was gone, but his replacement was standing by the door. I realized that having a guard outside my door was going to be too obvious and made a mental note to talk to John about how to handle the security more discreetly.
Running back upstairs, I quickly showered and got dressed. Dropping a pod in the coffee maker, I scrolled through my missed calls while the cup filled. Emily was going to have her hands full if things kept up at this pace. I noticed that the calls continued until almost 2 am and that several were from my oldest brother (half-brother), including the last one.
Just a little before 8:30, I heard a knock on the door. I assumed it was Emily but was surprised to see the security guy standing there. “Good morning, sir. There is a young lady downstairs who says she’s related to you and supposed to be here. I asked her to wait for a moment while I confirmed. I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’m afraid you didn’t answer when I called, and we don’t have a calendar for you or a list of approved guests.”
I hadn’t even thought about security when I told Emily to come by. “That’s totally my fault. I’m not used to this at all yet. That’s my niece Emily. She’ll be working for me over the summer. Please make sure I get your number before you leave so I can put it in my phone. You can go ahead and send her up.”
“No problem, sir. I’ll do so right away.” He turned and went back downstairs. I left the door open, and a moment later Emily walked in looking confused.
“Ummm, Alex, who was that?”
I took the grocery bags from Emily and put them on the counter. Grabbing another mug from the cabinet, I made a second cup of coffee and told Emily to fix it any way she wanted. She pulled out the cream and sugar along with a box of pastries. I realized I was hungrier than I thought and grabbed one as I answered.
“That was our security. They’ll be here for at least the immediate future or until things settle down. They know who you are now and that you’re working for me for the summer.”
Emily seemed to accept that and finished fixing her coffee before grabbing a pastry of her own.
I explained that I was going to be meeting Mark for breakfast but that Sam was going to stop by and keep her company this morning while she was getting settled in and that I’d be back right after we were done.
I handed her my phone and gave her the passcode. I told her I wanted her to go through all the calls and write down the numbers and how many times each had called. If there wasn’t a contact or caller ID with it, then to reverse search the number and see if any of them came up. I also told her to go through all the voicemails and write down who called and what their message was.
I asked her to delete the ones that were just “call me back” messages but save the rest in case I needed to listen to them. After we finished our coffee and pastries, I helped her gather her stuff and the pastries so we could head downstairs to the office.
John was already there to relieve the other guy and recognized Emily from yesterday, and I could tell she remembered him too. He smiled at her, and she offered up a pastry. He thanked her but declined and asked if I had a schedule for the day yet. I explained I’d be meeting the Chief of Police in about 30 minutes and then returning to the office.
He said he’d like to get about 30 minutes of my time at some point to discuss some security plans, and I promised we’d sit down before lunch.
Unlocking the office, I took Emily’s bag and the groceries from her before asking her to run back upstairs and grab Charlie and Cooper so they wouldn’t be sitting alone while we were in the office. We set up in the conference room, I realized we’d probably need to get some more office furniture soon. She walked back in with the dogs a second later, they were clearly thrilled to be out of the apartment.
I explained we’d be ordering more furniture and a computer for her shortly. My office was clean, organized (mostly), and functional but pretty basic. I only had my desk, some chairs in the foyer for people waiting to meet, and a conference room for larger meetings, closings, etc.
Emily would have to work in the conference room until we could set up another office for her. There were two other vacant offices and a break room. It had been way more space than I needed before, but now I imagined that would change. Just as I was starting to worry about having enough room for a foundation, assistant, etc., I remembered that the entire building was mine, not just the office I was “renting”, I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.
Setting her up with the laptop, I told her where the office supplies were and promised I’d be back shortly, but that I’d be leaving my phone with her, so I wouldn’t be reachable. Then I remembered John and realized she could get hold of him if there was an emergency.
John was in the foyer, and I got his cell number and passed it on to her. I was getting ready to leave when she looked embarrassed for a second and started to speak but then stopped herself. I asked her what was up, and she hesitated before asking quietly if I was going to see if maybe her mom could get out of jail today.
CRAP, I had completely forgotten about Debbie. I told her to hold on one second and grabbed my phone. I had about 10 minutes to get to Carol’s and needed to talk to Dad first. Fortunately, he answered when I called and sounded a lot less stressed than he did yesterday.
“Hey Dad, good morning. Have you got just a minute? We need to talk about Debbie.”
I could almost hear his eyes roll through the phone. “Sure, I guess we need to get her out. Do you want me to handle it?” he asked. I sighed with relief. I was afraid he was going to dig his heels in and want her to stay in jail for the weekend. “No, Dad, I’m meeting Mark in 5 minutes. I should be able to take care of it. I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m sorry to cut this short, but I’ve got to hustle to not be late.”
“No problem, son. I’ll be having a conversation with her as soon as she gets out. Tell Mark I said hi.”
I rushed the phone back to Emily and told her I’d work on getting her mom out. She looked relieved as I hurried out the door. Carol’s was only a couple of streets up, but it got packed on the weekend. It had been in that location for almost 70 years, with the third generation now behind the counter and the fourth getting ready to be.
I got there right at 9, and the line was around the block with peppily dressed weekenders waiting to eat, staring at their phones and ignoring their families waiting right next to them. Mark was already inside at his usual table (being chief had its privileges), but even if Mark hadn’t been sitting in his usual booth, he would have been easy to spot. At nearly 6’ 4” and built like an Abram’s tank, he was sure to stand out in any crowd.
Grabbing a seat, I let out a big sigh and relaxed. Mark quirked an eyebrow at me and said, “What’s up with you? I’ve never seen you look so tense.”
“How long have we got, Mark?” I asked with a wry chuckle.
Mark looked a little concerned and said, “All day and night if we need it, spill it.”
“Ok, but before we get into it, I need to ask you a professional question. We’re not going to press charges against Debbie. The night in jail should have been the wake-up call she needed, and if not, my dad’s going to deliver one when he sees her. Are you planning on charging her?”
Mark didn’t even answer; he just picked up his phone and called his duty desk. “Hey Steven, go ahead and cut Debbie Walker loose on my say. Put the papers on my desk, and I’ll sign off when I come back in. Make sure she knows she might still face charges from the DA and that she’d be wise to stay in town.”… “Nope, that’s it, thanks – I’ll stop in on my way home. Hope it’s a quiet today. See ya’.”
“There, one problem off your plate?”
I grinned. “Thanks, Mark. I don’t know if the problem is off my plate, but I know she’s out of your jail and that’s a start. Let’s get our order in, and then I’ve got the story of a lifetime for you.”
For the next 10 minutes, I gave Mark a 30,000-foot view of what had happened yesterday. He sat there quietly listening, only occasionally asking a question. When I got into the numbers, he stopped me and asked me to repeat myself.
I told him how surreal it was and that none of this had really sunk in yet. I mentioned Michael and Debbie getting turned away from the meeting by the security that JA had lined up and told him that the firm had insisted they keep security on me until things cooled down.
Mark nodded and asked if I had let them do that. I said I had reluctantly agreed, and Mark asked if they were here now. I pointed John out; he was standing outside the door and said that JA told me he’s a deputy from a nearby county. Mark’s eyes narrowed, and I saw him nod slightly. I asked him if he knew John.
“Oh yeah, I know him, and while I guess technically he is a deputy of sorts, he runs one of the top private security firms within 300 miles. He’s as good as you can get.” I asked how he knew him, and Mark simply said, “We served together,” and left it at that. “If he’s out here personally, then someone he respects, or someone important, must have asked him to handle your detail.”
“I’m supposed to talk to him when we get done here. He wants to discuss the security plan, but I’m not sure I’d call one guy a detail.”
“Do you mind if I join you?” asked Mark. “I’d like to know what he’s thinking and be ready to brief my officers if necessary.”
“Uh, sure…. Thank you.” I was aware that security was a concern; in addition to the family issues, there was a risk (even if it was small) of kidnapping, blackmail, increased potential for robbery, etc., but I was surprised that JA hadn’t been more direct about who he’d hired. Maybe he had more concerns than he wanted to share.
Breakfast came out right about then, delivered by Sandy, a pretty girl in her early thirties that I’d known most of my life. She was a few years younger than me with a bright smile and a positive energy that made people light up when they saw her. After college, she’d gone to work for one of the largest restaurant operators in the U.S. She’d spent nearly ten years there before leaving as a regional director to return home last year. Her grandparents had started Carol’s, and today Sandy and her cousin ran it. The rumor mill was that they had plans to expand, and that’s what had brought her home.
“Morning Chief… Hey Alex,” she said as she put the plates down. She paused for a moment before she put her hand on my shoulder and said, “Alex, I’m so sorry about Joe. He came in here almost every day. I loved spending time talking to him – when I was working here in high school, he’d tell stories about the old downtown and loved to remind me that he was one of the first people through the door back when my grandparents first opened. I remember mentioning him to my grandmother back then, and she laughed and started talking about him and those dogs. You know no one ever had the heart to tell him he shouldn’t bring them in with him. I hope you’ll bring Charlie by to see me soon. I miss his big head.”
I promised I’d bring him by this week. She refilled our coffees and was walking away when she turned back and said, “I’ll look forward to seeing him, and you!”
Mark laughed behind his coffee cup and took it as an opportunity to give me a hard time. “Watch out, buddy… that girl might have eyes for you!” I protested, but I was wondering what she had meant by that too. Not that it matters, I’m committed to finding out if Sam and I are right for one another. We have a lot of history, but each of us has changed a lot in the last 18 years, and even though we’re both excited about reconnecting, I don’t think either of us is ready to rush into anything.
I filled Mark in on my date with Sam last night and her reaction to the news, which I’d best describe as “cautiously supportive,” and told him she might be at the office right now sitting with Emily, who was going to be working with me for the summer.
We talked a bit more about what Joe had done. He had some questions about the land and asked if I knew which properties were involved. I told him what I knew, which was still pretty limited at that point (I don’t know a lot more now; there’s a lot to take in).
At about that time, Mark’s phone rang. He answered it and got serious real fast as he listened. “Ok, I understand. I’m with Alex right now. Call JA and tell him what happened. Alex and I will head out there in a bit.”
“Finish up, buddy – there’s no rush, but it looks like there was trouble at your uncle’s place again early this morning. This time, the security guard got hurt. He’s just banged up, maybe a concussion. I’ve got officers on-site, and the sheriff is sending over a detective. Whoever did it got scared off before he got into the house.”
We finished eating, and I grabbed the check before Mark could. He told me he’d let me get this one since my family was causing him so much trouble but not to get used to it. Paying at the register, I turned to leave and caught Sandy looking at me. When she saw me catch her, she just smiled and waved. Caught off guard, I waved back.
On the way out, we stopped, and John and Mark shook hands and smiled. “Mark, good to see you doing well! I heard you’d made Chief and figured there was no way we were going to pry you away after that!” It looks like Mark was holding out a little too.
“Yep, the Valley is home. I don’t like the idea of uprooting. It looks like you might be here for a while too; things aren’t calming down just yet. Alex and I have to head out to his uncle’s place. Someone attacked the security guard last night but ran off before going in. You’re welcome to ride with us unless you want to follow.”
John took the information in calmly and nodded. “I’ll follow behind you. I’m sure Alex will be fine riding with the chief of police, and of course, one of the best…”
Mark cut him off. “That’s enough of that; let’s just roll.”
I told Mark I needed to borrow his phone and called my cell. “Emily, hey it’s Alex. How is it going there?” Emily said that she’d gone through all the voicemails and that there were a few I definitely needed to hear. She sounded shaken up but said that Sam was also there. I asked her to hand the phone to Sam. Once she was on, I explained that we were on our way to Joe’s place and told her there had been an incident. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What the hell is going on?” I could hear the aggravation in her voice.
I explained I’d be back as soon as I could but that I had to go check out Joe’s place, and if she needed me, she should call Mark’s cell. She told me to be safe and said she’d stay with Emily until we got back. I made one other quick call to the Verizon store near my office to add 2 lines to my account. One for Emily and a new one for me. Emily’s phone was on her father’s plan, and I didn’t want them to see her calls and texts. I asked them to get them ready quickly, and that I’d be by in the next hour to pick them up.
Handing the phone back to Mark, I noticed how serious he was looking. “Alex, this is serious. I’m not sure that this is related to the will, but I wouldn’t bet against it. You need to have a very real conversation with John. I’m probably going to agree with his security recommendations. This is about more than just your security; it’s also about the people around you.”
I sat quietly for a moment. “I got you. When we get back, we’ll all sit down, and you guys can tell me what you want to do. You have my full support.” I paused, “Mark, I’m really sorry about this. I’m sorry you’re spending your Saturday doing this. I’m sorry your officers had to deal with Debbie, and I’m sorry someone got hurt.” Mark’s face softened as much as it could. “Even if this wasn’t my job, you’re my closest friend, and I’m not letting anything happen to you. Let’s just make sure no one else gets hurt either.”
We pulled up to Joe’s place, and the EMT was still there along with the police and sheriff’s deputies. The security guard was sitting on the back of the ambulance, holding a cold pack on the back of his head and speaking with the police. Mark jumped out of the car and went over to their huddle.
I hung back and went to speak to John. “You and Mark and I can work on detailing how to handle security when we get back to my office. I realize this may be unrelated to the will, but I also know it’s not worth taking risks while we figure things out.”
John nodded. “It’s highly unlikely that it’s unrelated, Alex. I’m not a big believer in coincidence.” We moved toward the ambulance where everyone was gathered. As we got closer, Mark stepped toward us as they continued talking to the guard.
“Evidently, the guard had left his car to check the perimeter when he stumbled onto the intruder trying to jimmy the lock on the back door of the house. He was more surprised than the burglar, who spun around and dropped him before he could even say anything.
“When he came to, the burglar was gone. He followed his tracks to where he parked, but there was no sign. We do have footage from the 360-degree camera on his security vehicle, and we’re hoping to get a good look at the car as soon as they upload a copy to us. We’ve gotten his statement and a rough description of the suspect. They’re going to take him for a CT scan as a precaution, but he appears to be fine other than a nasty cut on his head.”
John interrupted, “Before he leaves, can I ask him a couple of questions?”
Mark agreed and walked him over to the ambulance while I turned to walk the property. I didn’t see anything damaged other than a terra cotta pot on the back porch that had likely been used to knock out the guard, but I still wanted to check the garage.
When I got there, I knew there was a problem. Years of living there made it obvious that something had happened. The door was closed, but I could see that the lock was broken. Using my foot to push it open further, I walked inside, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the filtered light.
The Jag had been searched, with the contents of the glove box thrown around carelessly. The trunk was open, and the tool kit and spare tire had been dumped on the ground. The same was true for Joe’s truck.
Heading upstairs, I saw that my old room had been ransacked as well. My uncle hadn’t really touched anything after I moved out. I recognized a few personal belongings that hadn’t just been tossed on the ground; they’d been utterly destroyed.
I went back downstairs and straight to Mark and John. I told them what I’d found and mentioned how some of my personal belongings had been specifically destroyed. John was standing nearby and exchanged looks with Mark, who said, “This was personal. We’re going to treat this as another issue related to the will. That means this was probably someone in the family; anyone else wouldn’t have known to destroy your things.”
John nodded. “I’ll contact my operations team to bring in additional personnel. I’m going to have someone on your office and home 24/7 as well as someone with you. We’ll also be installing cameras at both properties. Do you have access to the entire building?”
“No, just my offices and apartment, but the building evidently belongs to his estate, and I guess to me. I’ll contact JA and see if he has keys.”
“Ok, I think the security guards should be fine for this property. The guard said there were replacements on the way. Incidentally, JA had already told me that whatever I deemed necessary to keep you safe would be paid for by the estate until it settles. We can discuss longer-term planning after that.” I appreciated John’s reassurances about the cost. I lived comfortably but didn’t have the money to pay for all this security.
Something else occurred to me. “Guys, something else about this is bothering me. Whoever was here was looking for something and obviously didn’t find it since they were trying to get into the house when they got interrupted.” I paused, then continued, “I don’t think it’s valuables or another copy of the will. They searched glove boxes, trunks, and my old room. I don’t know what they’re after, but it must be important.”
“We probably won’t figure that out until we catch whoever it is,” Mark said. “Do you want to go into Joe’s place now?”
“I guess I should do a quick walk-through, but I really need to get back to Emily and Sam.” Unlocking the door to the house, I did a quick scan. I could see glass on the floor from Aunt Debbie’s “visit,” and in the den, I could see the hammer marks on the safe (seriously???).
I told John that I’d probably be moving out here soon and that he might as well start taking a look at security measures for this place as well. I asked Mark when I could get back the things Debbie had gathered up (they were in evidence), and he said as soon as the DA confirmed that they weren’t planning on charging her, they’d release them and I could pick them up for JA.
I didn’t see anything else out of place, so I locked up the house, and we were getting ready to go when two additional cars from the guard’s agency pulled up. John stepped over to speak with them while Mark told his officers and the deputies we were leaving but that he’d check in later.
We pulled out just as the ambulance was taking the guard to the hospital for evaluation. When we hit town, I got Mark to stop so I could run in and grab the phones before we went back to my office. They had them sitting on the counter waiting for me, so I was in and out.
At this point, it was getting close to noon, and breakfast seemed like it was hours ago. We pulled up at the office and went inside to find Sam and Emily sitting at the conference room table laughing. When they saw us come through the door, they both jumped up and started asking questions. After a brief recap of what had happened that morning, I handed Emily her work phone, gave everyone my new number, and asked them to keep it private.
Emily said she’d listened to all the messages on my old phone and that there were a few I needed to hear but a couple that really worried her. Mark asked her to play them for us.
The first one was from my cousin David: “You’re a damn asshole, Alex. Kissing up to that old man so the rest of us don’t get shit. I’m going to kick your ass next time I see you! This isn’t over.”
David’s a hothead, but I really wasn’t concerned about his threats, although both Mark and John were taking notes.
The next one was more of a concern though. It was my half-brother Michael, the one that had shown up late for the meeting. He’d been raised by his mother and hadn’t spent much time with our father growing up, or any of us. He was over 20 years older than me and had been in and out of trouble his whole life. I always had the feeling he blamed us for his relationship with Dad. He’d left the message late on Friday night.
“I’m done getting screwed by this family. I’m just as much a Russell as the rest of you bastards. You took what was rightly mine, but you’re not going to take everything. I know there’s more, and I’m going to get it. If you get in my way, I promise it will be the last thing you ever do.”
Mark and John exchanged looks, and I knew they were taking this call seriously. Emily was going through the rest of the messages; some were from clients, some were from family telling me that they knew how much I meant to Joe and him to me, and that they were happy for me. My Aunt Patricia called almost a dozen times, begging me to call her.
There were a few other callers that I suspect had heard the rumors, but I had no idea who they were and would figure out how to handle them later.
As Emily was wrapping up, Mark’s phone rang. He answered and listened for a minute. “Ok, listen, just a hunch, but run Michael Russell’s name and see what cars are registered to him. I’ll hold.” After a moment, he said, “Yep – it was a good hunch. Put out a BOLO and tell the Sheriff’s office we’re going to want to have a talk with him. Call me if you find him.”
Getting off the phone, Mark shared that, “We’ve got footage of a car leaving the area right around the time the guard was attacked. There was a partial plate visible from one of the camera angles on the guard’s car. I had them run Michael’s DMV records, and they came back with a match. We’ll pick him up as soon as we see him. If we can connect him with the attack, he’ll be facing charges.”
Looking over at me, he said, “Alex, I don’t have to tell you this isn’t like the situation with Debbie. If Michael attacked that guard he’s going to be prosecuted.”
Emily’s face fell, and she looked down as if she wanted to hide. Mark saw her reaction, and realized that he’d forgotten Debbie was Emily’s mom. “Sweetie, I’m sorry, your mom just made a silly mistake. I don’t know if you’ve talked to your dad yet, but he’s probably already picked her up. Either way, it has nothing to do with you. You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about.”
I had forgotten to tell Emily that Debbie was being released, and her face immediately lit up. “No, I didn’t hear from Dad. We’re not really talking right now, but I’ll call Mom in a bit!” she said excitedly.
This whole time Sam had been sitting quietly, taking it all in. I had no idea what she was thinking and frankly wasn't sure I wanted to know.
I hadn’t even had lunch yet, and I’d gotten Aunt Debbie out of jail, a guard had been attacked at my uncle’s house, my brother was a suspect in a serious assault, and for some reason, Emily’s father wasn’t speaking to her.
Add to that, I have no idea what Michael is talking about or what he’s looking for. I'll have to tell you more about him soon.
There were obviously a lot more issues in the family than I ever knew. I was going to have to start figuring things out, and fast.

I've been friends with him since the start of the class then we became friends, later we chat often he or me text first about recommend a game or anime, play game with through online, and asking answer for the subject. Then there is a little rumors about that we were together but were not tho because everytime we across the field cause it's noon I opened the umbrella but he insisted he should carry the umbrella and my envelope then later every we walk to first subject in afternoon it became a habit. Plus there is a class who see us walk together and he is the one carry the umbrella cause he's tall he said we walk to canteen cause we went buy a drink and we go to the building that near to the stage cause we want a better view. Then later he often barrow my comb, also drink a water from my tumbler not only take off my glasses suddenly then he tried to his face (I wear a glasses). Also we often partner in English or math class. Sometime he accompany me going to print or canteen. Then also he asked me that I should accompany him during his lunch cause his friend are not accompany him so I agree. Then later our class turned to module he asked what subject are need to answer so I helped him. These recent day, my class we want to beach before the beach I arrived at the waiting are to gather us so he arrived later then go to store to buy a marshmallow when I take a wallet from my backpack he insist that give my backpack to him so I gave him and thank him. Later we arrived at the beach, while swimming he bring me into deep at first I was touching his shoulder for playing a train then I realized no one touching my shoulder so it was two of us then he bring me deep part of sea when I want to touch the sand then I realized it deeper than I thought I quickly wrapped my arm around his neck because he thought I can swim unfortunately I can't swim. Then he bring me back to part of sea where I can reach a sand. Then give a volleyball cause it can float me then we drink in the same cup, he opened a snack for, give a sandwick and he burned a marshmallow in his stick cause he ask me you want a marshmallow I said no, he and I went grill to burned a marshmallow when his stick with a marshmallow that is burned he insist you want to try go ahead so I eat the first marshmallow the rest he ate it. After swimming, my friend and I went to shower and changed clothes he saw my hair is wet he said here a comb and give me a hair tie cause early I was looking a hair tie I ask my classmate but they didn't answer so he said I actually find it while I was changing clothes so I thanked him. We going to go home I ask him if I can barrow his jacket so he barrow to me cause it starting to rain lightly then later we arrived at small shelter cause it started raining, luckily I have an umbrella so we use it going to larger shelter. Then the car arrived cause I'm going home with my teacher then dropped off me before I enter he ask if I can leave my umbrella to him cause it's still raining in Sunday we exchange cause I barrow his jacket so I agree. Few days the two of us are going to hang out in the mall then cinema and going to musuem.
I don't understand What kind of feeling now I can't describe.

Bladee Red Light T-Shirt (L) - Bought in 2021, barely worn, still great condition no defects (50$)
Bladee Exile T-Shirt (L) - Bought in 2021, barely worn, still great condition no defects (50$)
Bladee Exeter T-Shirt (L) - Bought in 2021, barely worn, still great condition no defects (40$)
Drain Gang Tour T-Shirt (L) - Bought in 2022 at show, lightly worn, great condition but some general wear, size large but fits a little tighter than the other Bladee shirts, somewhere between a medium and large (40$)
DJ Billybool T shirts (Gray and Purple, size L) - Bought in 2023 on launch, maybe a little bit tighter than a normal large, barely worn, 10/10 condition pretty much (75$ each)
Back2Life Polo Shirt (XL) - Boguht in 2022 on launch, barely worn, no defects still great condition (no glitteprint peeling), fits more like a large than XL, still have sticker as well (100$)
Bladee Glue Vinyl - I'm a poser and dont have a record player so I got it just to keep in my room lol so still inside plastic wrap (I'll just throw this in for free if you want it has like no second hand value)
Ecco2k E Vinyl Rough Trade - Same as gluee, never played but the packaging I received it in had some creases (see photos), I removed the actual record and there doesnt seem to be any warps though. Still have sticker as well (75$)
Ecco2k E cd (2nd press) - Not much to say, still looks great nothing wrong with it (50$)
Salem Silk Road Shirt - Bought in 2021 (I think? maybe 22) from their website when it got restocked. Size XL gildan it fits tts. Perfect condition (75$)
Playboi Carti Die Lit long sleeve - Size L, fits tts. Bought in 2018 during the neon tour in nyc. Barely worn as I had strict parents lol, so great condition just some slight yellowing and aging from time. Still have the receipt as well dont think anyone else does. (100$)
Vlone swarovski hoodie - Size L (in whatever vlone sizing is). Bought at nyc popup in 2018 or 19 i dont remember. Good condition (no stone missing or rips) but there is quite a bit of sun fading on sleeve from the sun hitting the clothing rack I kept it on (100$)
Dior Kim Jones side tape hoodie - Size XL but fits quite tight, somewhere between a medium and large. Sweater is in good condition but the zipper is pretty shit i cant lie it just stops working sometimes. Bought at nordstrom in 2018. Havent seen it in other places but heres a listing for it i found if you want more pictures: https://www.lyst.com/clothing/dior-logo-ribbon-cotton-zip-hoodie/?open=1 (100$)
Weiland Awake Forest replica hoodie - Champion size medium, tts. Made this hoodie in 2019 when i was a hardcore weiland dickrider. Saw him and dom chan wearing it (I think their brand was called coincidence labs or something like that) and instead of getting scammed by buying thru his dms I decided to print one myself with my friend. (30$)
If you want more pictures for any of the items ask me and I'll be happy send. Uploading them in order over here is a hassle because there's so many. Thank

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Fusion fashion keeps the world of men's kurtas fascinating. Designers combine contemporary Western ideas with traditional elements to create a unique style that transcends cultural boundaries. These fusion kurtas satisfy the modern man's requirement for a wardrobe that can transition easily from casual to formal settings.
Decorating and Accessorising
Men's kurtas excel in the art of embellishment and ornamentation. By pairing these statement pieces with complementary bottoms like sleek churidars or fitting trousers, men can create a cohesive and stylish ensemble. The last details, such as vibrant stoles, shoes with embroidery, and traditional jewellery, elevate an ordinary kurta to a remarkable level.
Conclusion
Kurtas that break the mould are more than clothes in the ever-changing world of men's fashion; they celebrate uniqueness, ingenuity, and cultural pride. By donning these striking pieces, men can take a daring sartorial trip that honours their rich heritage and breaks stereotypes. Men's kurtas are predicted to become a bright tapestry woven with bold designs, unusual silhouettes, and a courageous spirit that breaks free from the constraints of monotony as the industry continues to push limits.

So many expenses go into wedding planning, but for some reason the cost of wedding dress alterations is the one I'm struggling to wrap my head around. I just got off a call with a highly-recommended seamstress in Brooklyn and was quoted $1000 - $1200 to hem it and take it in slightly. My dress cost $1400, so I'm trying to avoid spending that much on alterations alone. I'm including a picture to give an idea of the lace that apparently makes it tricky to work with. So my question—is it possible to get the alterations I'm looking for for less than $700 (or even less than $1000) somewhere in NYC? Does anyone have any affordable recommendations to share? Would I have better luck looking outside the city?
https://preview.redd.it/tjym6sn5e65d1.jpg?width=1005&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e37e73a3024a531625c6bb13d2c375a78a5516ec

(I am not affiliated with Project Linus, I am just a very thankful recipient of a quilt from that amazing group) (also I’m very sorry if this isn’t allowed here, I just got a bit emotional and am feeling so grateful for my quilt!)

 It was December 1, 2021. I had turned 17 in July. I went to a doctor’s appointment because my face had been swollen for about a month and it was really bothering me. In my horribly deprived and one track brain, I assumed it had something to do with my thyroid. It became obvious moments into my appointment that my condition was serious. I assumed that since I didn’t make myself throw up that my swollen face could never have anything to do with my eating disorder. I was declared clinically “severely anorexic” from my weight and struggling vital signs. No one even wanted to talk about my facial swelling. Everything was just about tests and weight and how to get me somewhere as soon as possible. I knew it was bad. I didn’t know it was Immediately-Involve-CPS-and-Ship-To-Stanford-Children’s-Hospital bad. I didn’t live with any family because they were all on something and couldn’t take care of me. I had lived with my ex-girlfriend’s family for about 2.5 years at this point. I told my ex’s mom what was happening and thankfully the hospital let her take me instead of CPS.( You might be wondering how no one noticed me being sick when I was so obviously sick. Well, I dressed in baggy clothes and always seemed to be in the kitchen. I wasn’t close with my ex’s parents and I worked a lot and never made any issues or drew any attention to myself. )My ex’s lovely mom drove many hours from my home, Humboldt, CA, all the way to MountainView to be seen at Stanford Children’s Hospital. I really didn’t want to go. I was content with just dying. I had given up. When we arrived I had been seen by many people and felt overwhelmed. I was so cold the whole time, even though I had been fully decked out in winter clothes. It was very evident I’d have to stay here a long time. I was bawling and horrified. I was told I would have to live in the hospital and be under close supervision at all times. Have all my meals be planned out and have to eat everything on my plate. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere except 3 rooms : My room, the dining area, and the craft room. I’d sleep with heart monitors on. When I entered the area I’d be staying in they let me pick a blanket from this beautiful pile of quilts. I liked this one because it reminded me of stars and the moon and it had a couple of patches with cows on it. For a moment I felt myself light up. I loved this blanket so much. Since I had been being seen in the larger hospital for many hours it had become night by the time I had arrived to my room. If you’ve stayed in a hospital you probably know how horrible the blankets are. I kept this blanket on the bottom because it was so much softer than the other blankets they gave me, and I needed a LOT because my body was unable to maintain a warm temperature by itself. 

I was so thankful for this quilt. Not only had it given me something soft to sleep with, but it had also made me feel loved. Someone cared enough about kids like me to put time into a quilt and send it off into the world without a chance of a personal “thank you.” I didn’t have any adults in my life that seemed like they cared until my ex’s mom took me here and said that they did. She couldn’t stay with me and had to go home, it was absolutely heart wrenching but I still had a symbol of love with me, the quilt.

 I had to stay there for a month. Had Christmas in the hospital with no family or friends near, but I had made it through. Every night spent wrapped in my quilt, I even sat on it quite often because my butt was too bony to sit on. Though I had entered the hospital unwillingly and hesitantly, regaining consciousness from eating enough food was the absolute game changer that showed me that I couldn’t live like this anymore. It was impossible. I knew if I continued to starve I would die very soon. There were many set backs, relapses, alcohol problems, and terrifying eye openers… but I made it! I’m okay now! I barely graduated high school and have been in college since. I found a love for poetry and continued to refine my visual art. I moved to New York (state) with my new partner and we have a lovely life together. Getting out of my hometown saved me. To whoever made this quilt, and to anyone who has made a quilt for Project Linus, thank you. The quilt doesn’t fix everything. The quilt doesn’t directly help with sickness. But the quilt does bring a homey touch to a hospital bed, and it lets us know that we are loved and thought of. I still use this quilt every day. I’m trying to work through all the trauma that caused me to hurt myself and the blanket is always near. It’s a symbol of hope and better times ahead, a reminder that I’ve done hard things before and can do it again, and a token of love from a caring stranger. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Home didn’t feel the same after I returned from the hotel. My dad knew that I knew how he’d gotten that high-paying job. And he knew what I had been doing to help us make ends meet before getting entangled with Creole. It got even worse when one day he walked in on me as I was applying the ointment to cover my scars. That broke him. He started crying uncontrollably upon seeing me with the deep scar on my neck and my missing eye surrounded by my skull. It was the first time I’d seen my dad cry like that. And I couldn’t do anything to console or help him. Because I knew if I did, I would start crying and wouldn’t be able to stop.
We were both at rock bottom, with my mom trying in vain to figure out why we were so upset. Creole must’ve known what I was going through and allowed it to continue. For an entire month, he didn’t call on me for anything. And that worried me more than if he did. Because there was always the looming and constant fear that he would get bored with me. And him being bored with me probably meant my immediate death.
It was a relief when I was home alone again that I received a knock at the door. I looked down at my phone to make sure that I still had plenty of time since my last ointment appointment. Satisfied that I had plenty of time I stood up and answered the door. Seeing that smiling face and red uniform instantly brightened my day a little.
“Hey Jacob, what’s he got for me this time?” I asked him as the forever smiling bellhop stared at me with his button eyes. He happily presented me with an envelope and gave me a little salute at completing his mission. I took the envelope and opened it up, sighing when I saw the all too familiar handwriting.
“Marvelous Ms. Mace! It would seem that I require your skills in another endeavor. Jacob shall escort you to the store, and do make sure to bring all your tools. K.C.” I heavily exhaled through my nose and invited Jacob into the house so I could gather my things.” I quickly ran upstairs and rounded up my lockpicking tools, pepper spray, and this time a pocket knife as well. I’d gotten myself one after the ordeal of the hotel. Just as I was applying more ointment and resetting my timer I heard the front door open and a bunch of grocery bags rustling.
My heart instantly dropped. My mom had gotten back earlier than expected. I quickly finished putting the ointment on and ran downstairs as quickly as I could. I nearly ran into my mom as she was hanging one of the bags on the stair railings.
“Jesus, Maria, Jose, Macedonia!” My mom shouted in surprise. I half expected it to be because of Jacob but a glance around the first floor revealed that he wasn’t anywhere in sight. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” My mom sighed fanning herself dramatically.
“Sorry Mom,” I apologized, wrapping my arms around her and squeezing her. “I’m going out, ok?” I told her. She looked at me judgementally, mostly at what I was wearing before wishing me good luck and the usual million things to be careful of. I nodded at all of them and parted with a kiss on her cheek. As I exited the front door it was my turn to nearly have a heart attack as Jacob surprised me by poking his head out of the bush next to the front door.
“How’d you get in there?!” I silently shouted at him. He pointed at the open window just above the bush. And I couldn’t help but snort and giggle at the thought of him diving out of the window into the bush once my mom had arrived back at the house. I helped him to get out of the bush and brushed the leaves off of his uniform.
We started making our way towards the voodoo shop all the while my mind continued to wander in various scenarios in which my situation was going to end. Most of them with me and my entire family dead or turned into voodoo dolls.
“Jacob?!” An unknown voice broke my endless doom loop. I looked up and Jacob and I stared at a sketchy dude across the street from us who quickly ran over and grabbed Jacob by his gold-trimmed collar. “Where the fuck have you been man?! I’ve been trying to call you for months!” He shouted at Jacob who just stared at him with his permanent smile and tilted his head in confusion.
“Leave him alone, we’re trying to be somewhere asshole,” I told the guy, grabbing Jacob by the arm and starting to tug on it. The guy looked at me like I was literal shit on his shoe and stared back at Jacob.
“Who the fuck is she? More importantly, why the fuck are you dressed like this? It isn’t Halloween you freak,” he shouted at Jacob. He continued on about how he hadn’t made a single delivery in months and that some scary people were looking for him. Jacob continued to stare blankly at this guy before turning to me and taking his hat off.
“Hey, asshole! Don’t ignore me!” he shouted at Jacob as he placed the hat on me. I stared at him in confusion before he lifted his hands to cover his button eyes. He then lowered his hands and pointed at me. It took me a few seconds to figure out he wanted me to cover my eyes. So I hesitated for a moment before lifting my hands and covering my eyes.
As I covered my eyes I heard the guy let out a choked scream before a sickening crunch and tearing, overpowered the sounds of his muted screams. I shut my eyes as tightly as I could and suddenly wondered something. My glass eyes didn’t have an eyelid. So how exactly was it shut right at that moment? Did it turn off on command? I didn’t have long to wonder at the logistics as I felt Jacob’s hat being taken off of me.
I lowered my hands and was met by Jacob’s usual smiling face. And not a single stain on his uniform at all. I looked at him and then around us in confusion. There wasn’t a single sight of the asshole. Not a body part, not a drop of blood not even a scrap of clothing. Absolutely nothing. I knew better than to inquire about what had happened so I simply continued our walk towards the voodoo store.
“Mace! It’s been so long! How’s the eye treating you?” Creole asked me, giddy with excitement upon seeing me. I was instantly reminded how much I hated him. His stupid smile and his constant giddiness. It irked and annoyed me.
“It’s fine, sir,” I told him as dryly as I could. As usual that didn’t register at all to him and he simply nodded and looked over at Jacob.
“I see you two came upon some trouble. But Jacob handled it, so no harm done!” Creole said with a smile and walked over to the register. I followed after him and watched as he picked up the template doll from the register and started tossing it up and down in the air.
“What’s the problem this time?” I asked him, stuffing my hands into my jacket pocket. He stared at me for a moment with that toothy yellow grin for a few moments before letting some giggles rise up from his throat. I could already tell that this was going to suck.
“Seems, that while I was away. A rat got into some of my potions. Made quite the mess of the shop, you should’ve seen it! Now that lil ol’ rat has run off and made a nest in the high school. I’m gonna need you to deal with it for me.” He smiled as he caught the template doll in midair and gave it a hard squeeze in between his gloved fingers.
“No,” I told him. That got his attention. He raised a brow at me and tossed the doll onto the register table. “I can’t,” I said as I felt my heart beating out of control. Since I was a little girl I had an absolute phobia of rats. Everything about them disgusted me and freaked me out. And now I had to go and kill some probably giant monster rat.
“Oh Mace, we both know you ain’t in a position of refusing me.” Creole extended his hand out to me and the contract that I signed with him. He was right, I had no right to refuse him. But at the same time, I’d rather have him kill me than have to face a giant rat. Not to mention if it had gotten into his potions, there was no telling what that thing had turned into.
“Can’t you have the cops handle it?” I asked, still trying to find a way out of it. Creole slammed his fist down on the hard wooden table and I swear it felt like the entire shop would come crumbling down in top of us.
“You’ll be doing it. Understand? I don’t want to have to visit your parents any sooner than I have to, Macedonia.” He told me in a low and gravely voice. His yellow teeth sharpened into fangs and I quickly looked down at the floor and finally nodded after a few moments of trying to think of a way out of it.
“Yes sir…” I told him submissively.
“Splendid! Jacob will be coming with you, naturally. You two seem to make a good team.” His mood shifted instantly once I became cooperative. His usual bubbly and happy personality returned. I simply nodded and looked over at Jacob. He kept up his permanent smile and gave me a little wave. I returned it with a half-hearted smile of my own.
“Well off with the two of you then, the sooner you deal with that rat the sooner you can go home again,” Creole said with a smile as he dismissively waved the two of us away and without giving me any other way of protecting myself from whatever monster rat he’d accidentally created. I sighed as I followed after Jacob as he fished out the magic skeleton key and inserted it into the voodoo shop’s door.
I watched as the door contorted and warped into one of the high school’s main doors. I grabbed the metal handle before Jacob could and pushed it open. Being inside the darkened school was like having one of those nightmares where you’re back in school again, or when you come to school after hours and the entire building is eerily quiet.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I mumbled to Jacob as we started making our way towards the cafeteria. If a giant rat was going to be anywhere, it’d probably be there. We passed several photos of past classes and clubs and I came to a stop at the photo I had managed to get into. I’d snuck into cheer practice with Jess who had been a cheerleader and had gotten my picture taken with the whole squad. It brought me back to simpler times and was a cruel reminder of what had happened to my friends.
I looked over at Jacob and noticed that his button eyes were trained squarely on a photo. I walked over to him and noticed he was looking at a picture of the video game club. And staring straight at me with a happy and toothy grin was the old Jacob. Before dropping out and becoming a drug dealer, before becoming an undead bellhop. Jacob kept staring at the photo for a few more seconds before turning to look at me. There was no indication on his permanently closed and stitched smile that he felt any different but something felt off about him.
As I was about to ask him what the matter was, but a loud crash and rattling came from the direction of the cafeteria. I instantly shoved my face into Jacob’s chest in absolute terror. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a hard squeeze. I don’t know what it is about Jacob that gives me such a calming response whenever I’m near him. Whatever it is, it was powerful enough to give me my strength back as I quickly dug into my pockets and pulled out the can of pepper spray and my pocket knife.
“Okay…I can do this…right?” I looked back at Jacob for confirmation. He gave me two thumbs up and we continued on course toward the cafeteria. Finding the doors locked I quickly handed my items to Jacob and got on my knees to begin picking the lock. It was second nature to me at this point, there had been plenty of times during high school where I had broken into the cafeteria to steal some food or a snack. In just a few swift flicks of the pins and tumblers the door swung open.
Jacob went first before motioning for me to follow after him. It certainly seemed like the rat had been here. Judging by the simple fact that the tables and benches were strewn and thrown in every possible direction. In the direction of the kitchen, the whole metal screen separating the kitchen from the cafeteria was broken and bent in various directions. I was suddenly realizing that I was probably going to be fighting a bear-sized rat with only a knife and some pepper spray.
“I don’t hear it,” I whispered to Jacob as the two of us began approaching the kitchen. We poked our heads into the utter devastation that had happened to the kitchen. Appliances were ripped from the wall, the freezer door had been ripped from its hinges, and the remains of dozens of frozen lunches were strewn about in every possible direction.
I picked up a frozen round pizza and said a silent prayer for the only decent thing the school ever gave to me. Despite all the destruction, however, there was no sign of the rat. I suddenly became afraid that the thing could turn invisible. It was then that I noticed that Jacob was staring up at the ceiling. I quickly dropped the pizza and followed his gaze upward, terrified that the rat was hanging from the ceiling like the mirror version of me had done. But instead, I was greeted by a giant gaping hole in the ceiling.
“Well, it isn’t here. Where the hell else could it be?” I asked Jacob who looked back at me and shrugged. I groaned and started looking around at the floor trying to think of where it could be. I stared too long at the floor though as my new glass eye just popped out of my head and fell to the floor.
“Oh fuck off,” I hissed in anger as I quickly dropped to my knees and began scrambling after it. I managed to catch it just before it rolled under the stove and cleaned it as best as I could before inserting it back into my skull. As I was letting the magic item return vision to my left side I stared at the stove for a moment before a thought crossed my mind.
“What about the home econ room? They have a cooking class there.” I quickly stood up and Jacob quickly nodded. The only problem was that the home econ room was on the other side of the school from where we were. Plenty of chances for the rat to ambush us. So as we started walking down the halls towards the home econ room I made sure to hold on to Jacob’s hand. Our high school isn’t even that big and yet the walk from the cafeteria felt like it took sixty years, mostly because every single noise caused me to stop and wait to see what was going to pop out and attack me.
By the time we entered the area where the home econ room was, I was able to hear something rummaging around and destroying things in the classroom. It seemed that my hunch had paid off. The only problem was that I was too scared to move even a muscle. I looked back at Jacob and he gave me a thumbs up. I squeezed his hand tightly and nodded back at him, letting go of his hand and fishing my can of pepper spray out of my jacket pocket.
I glanced into the classroom through the window. Besides the absolute devastation of the classroom, I watched in horror as a giant rat’s tail was dragged along the floor like some enormous worm. I quickly shook my head and turned to Jacob.
“I can’t do it,” I whimpered at him, feeling the onset of a panic attack incoming. Jacob rubbed my arms and waited for me to slightly calm down. I did my best to get a hold of myself and again peeked into the window of the destroyed kitchen room. I got a good look at the giant rat as it broke into one of the stoves. Most of its fur had fallen off in giant patches, and giant spikes were piercing out of its back. As it turned its head to toss the stove away from the wall I could see that one of its eyes was missing. I breathed a sigh of relief, it was blind in that eye just like I was.
I took a deep breath and carefully tried to open the door, but the handle only jiggled a little, it was locked. That slight movement of the door triggered the rat, as it quickly whipped its head towards the door. My eye met its eyes, as it still had its right eye along with a giant cluster of eyes above and below it.
“Shit,” I mumbled as it let out a loud screech and proceeded to charge towards the door. I felt Jacob quickly grab me and shove me away just as the giant rat busted down the door on top of him. I landed on the floor on my ass and watched as Jacob struggled to keep the rat from bringing its full weight on top of him and squishing him into a puddle.
“Hey, shithead!” I screamed at the rat getting its attention. I aimed my pepper spray at it and pressed down, spraying it in its giant cluster of eyes. It let out a pained shriek and fell over as it tried in vain to get the stinging chemical spray out of its eyes. I quickly dropped the empty can and winced as the stinging began to form in my good eye. One good thing about having a magic glass eyeball is that it isn’t affected by pepper spray, so I at least had one advantage over the rat.
At least I thought I did, as a deep rumbling noise came from deep inside the rat, I took a step back as I held my knife out in front of me as if it was some kind of sword or spear. I watched in disgust as a new cluster of eyes spawned from the empty eye socket, and before I could process that, the rat pounced on me and pinned me to the floor. I thrashed and kicked trying to get it off of me, and even began stabbing it in the neck. It screamed and began rumbling again as long slender tentacles began to spawn from its back and began thrashing around like whips.
“Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding!” I screamed as I began stabbing it in the face and the eyes, any spot that could get it off of me, doing my best to avoid its mouth which was constantly snapping and gnashing at me. One of my stabs ended up landing underneath the rat’s snout and I was too careless. The knife became stuck inside him and I tried to use my left hand to give me more leverage to pull it out. In doing so I got too close to its mouth and it clamped down on my hand.
I screamed my fucking lungs out, and on instinct yanked my hands out of its mouth. And watched as my pinky, ring finger, and half of my middle finger remained in the rat's mouth. I let go of the knife and clutched my bloody hand with my other. The rat eagerly chewed on my fingers and was about to come back for more when Jacob slammed a metal desk chair against its head. It stumbled and looked over at him, just in time for Jacob to bring it down on the rat's head. It screeched and quickly began scurrying away. Instead of chasing after it, Jacob quickly dropped to his knees and began taking care of me.
“W-we gotta get outta here, before it comes back,” I whimpered, staring as a fountain of blood came pouring out of my damaged hand. Jacob quickly ripped off his sleeve and made a tourniquet and a bandage for me out of it. I couldn’t really stain it since it was the same color as my blood. Jacob quickly picked me up bridal style and ran towards the stairwell entrance just as I heard the rat coming back for another attack.
We entered the stairwell and Jacob quickly rushed us upstairs just as the rat crashed through the door. We made it upstairs and found ourselves in the science wing of the school. Jacob quickly ducked us into a classroom that happened to be open and quickly closed and locked the door, pushing a chair up against the door as well. We both ducked down as we heard the rat running past us on a wild goose chase to find us.
I whimpered and winced at the pain stinging from my hand. It was then that a terrifying thought entered my mind. I wouldn’t be able to pick locks with a hand like this. At least until I could get used to only having two and a half fingers. Would Creole get bored of me if I couldn’t pick locks anymore? I looked around the classroom and suddenly was struck with a familiar feeling. Like I’d been here before. I looked over toward the teacher’s desk and was flushed with memories of the only science class I’d ever enjoyed and passed with a grade higher than a C. Mr. Picot’s chemistry class.
“Jacob, I have an idea.” I winced as I stood up and quickly whispered to my smiling savior. He quickly came over and got on his knees as I wobbly sat up on mine. “In that cabinet,” I pointed towards a big metal cabinet. “Mr. Picot keeps some dry ice in a thermal cooler. We can make dry ice bombs to fight that thing.” I told him, Jacob quickly nodded as he agreed to my plan. He helped me stand up on my feet and the two of us walked over to the cabinet. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the tools.
Jacob helped me as he held the left hook pick steady for me as I used my good hand to fiddle around. I was lucky that Mr. Picot used a pretty cheap lock for the cabinet. After only two failed attempts we got the locker opened. Jacob quickly opened the cooler and pulled out the small block of dry ice from its container. I went under Mr. Picot’s desk and quickly grabbed a couple of mini water bottles that he always had on hand in case someone needed some water during a test.
Jacob carefully drained each bottle so only a little bit of water was left and cut the dry ice into little chunks, wrapping them up in a paper towel and adding them to the water bottle. I was impressed at how skillfully he was doing this. I’d always imagined Jacob as the typical school-hating wanna-be gangster. But here he was proving that he knew what he was doing. The water would stop an immediate release of the CO2 into the bottle and give us time to chuck it at the rat.
Our best bet was going to be getting it to swallow one, so with our arsenal of six bombs made and carefully being carried by Jacob in a lost and found backpack we’d found in the classroom, we exited the classroom and started making as much noise as possible. Banging our hands against the lockers and me screaming as loudly as I could. Soon enough we heard the loud scurrying running towards us again.
It had changed again, with its mouth having split open like a flower full of teeth and bleeding gums. If I didn’t walk away from this completely traumatized of rats I was going to be very surprised. Jacob reached into the back and pulled out a bomb, giving it a good shake before tossing it. Unfortunately for us, it blew up midair and sent a loud bang throughout the school. That didn’t seem to bother the rat as it kept charging towards us. I quickly took a bottle from Jacob and started rushing towards the rat.
It tackled me to the ground and screamed at me with its giant gaping mouth. I shook the bottle as well as I could and stuffed it into its mouth, acting quicker on this occasion to pull my hand back out. It swallowed the bomb and I winced in anticipation. As if on cue the bomb exploded in the rat’s throat and nearly decapitated it. It staggered over me for a few moments, as if trying to figure out why it had lost function of its whole body before it tumbled to the floor and let out a long death gurgle.
“Thank god,” I sighed as I crawled out from under it. Jacob was carefully opening the bottles to relieve their pressure. It turned out we only needed one after all. I walked over to him and shoved my face into his chest, letting a wave of emotions come over me as I began to cry uncontrollably into him. Everything bubbled to the surface at once, my fear of rats, my situation, my hopelessness, everything all came to the surface at once. I stood there crying into Jacob’s chest for a good five minutes before I finally got some bit of composure back.
The two of us made our way back down to the first floor and toward the main entrance. As we were about to leave I looked back to see Jacob staring at his old picture again. I wondered what he could be thinking about, but I figured it was better not to dwell on that, so I simply opened the door and stepped back into Creole’s shop.
“Mace! Goodness girl, what happened to ya?” Creole asked in shock which I couldn’t tell if it was genuine or fake. He walked over to me and quickly grabbed my hand, removing Jacob’s makeshift bandage to get a good look at it. “Oh dear me, quite the nasty bite it gave you, huh?” He asked me, that stupid smile replaced with a look of concern on his face.
“Can you fix me, sir?” I asked him as he looked at the hand and reached into his pocket. He wordlessly doused my hand in some potion and I half expected my lost fingers to start blooming like some flower or something. But instead, the bleeding ceased completely.
“There we are. That should deal with any infection as well, can’t have my new toy breaking so soon after I bought it,” he said with that stupid smile returning to his face. I stared back at him and felt my anger boiling over. I was his toy. No better than a frisbee he could throw around. And easily replaceable if he broke me too badly.
“What about my fingers?” I asked him, wanting to know if he could do anything with them. He stared at them for a moment before letting go of my hand and shrugging.
“If I had them I could sew them back on. Unfortunately, we don’t have them do we?” he said with a smile that quickly grew sinister as I was sure some other horrible idea had crossed his mind. “I could always chop it off and give you a new hand,” he said with a sinister snicker. I quickly held onto my hand and backed away from him.
“No thank you. I’ll manage with this.” I told him as I turned to leave, surprised to see that Jacob had replaced his damaged uniform in the time I had been talking to Creole.
“Oh, Mace my darling? You still can pick locks, can’t you? I would hate for your injuries to end that hobby for you,” Creole asked me as I kept my back to him. I looked down at my hand and bent my remaining fingers. It was doable, it would just take me a long time to get used to.
“Yes, sir,” I told him, opening the front door and listening to the sad bell jingle its tone as I left the shop. I was sure that he was just looking for any reason to break me further and get rid of me. Or he would finally get bored of me and get rid of me that way.
Either way, I was resolved with one simple goal. Free myself from King Creole by any means necessary.

There is a fresh, blank page sitting in front of me, staring back as I stare at it. I think about how hard it is to get started, feeling like Sisyphus every time I try to write. I put my pen to the pristine white page, ink pooling where the pen's tip rests, and finally begin.
“There is a girl, sitting in a room,” I write, and the floodgates open.
“She is wearing a simple dress, blue with a floral print. The room around her is nondescript and familiar. There is no door or window. There is a bed frame and mattress, a side table, and a chair, which this girl occupies. Behind this chair there is a simple floor-length mirror affixed to the wall. Above it, a clock, ticking quietly.”
“She sits gingerly on the edge of the chair, ripe with anxious energy, her back to the mirror as though it might bite her. Her foot is tapping, she shifts and shuffles lightly, waiting for something in a room with no entrance or exit.”
“She twists the hem of her skirt, trying to place how she got it, when she last changed. The dress feels old and familiar, yet untouched. She adjusts it, smooths the fabric, then adjusts it again.”
I gain momentum, the piece moving at a good pace.
“She looks around the furniture, never glancing at the mirror. Her distress mounts. All at once, she springs up and crosses to the bed, searching. The bed is bare. She pulls open the drawers of the side table and finds nothing. She combs the room once more, the clock ticking closer to six.”
“The clock strikes six.”
“A hollow, assertive tone sounds off. She freezes, goosebumps rise on her skin. Her breathing becomes shallow and rapid, slightly lightheaded. The clock continues to chime, unconcerned with her panic.”
“She sits back down, foot tapping wildly, head in hands. The clock ticks towards seven. Anxiety overwhelms her. She stands and crosses to the mattress, sitting gingerly on the edge, twisting away from the mirror. She ponders her situation, combing through memories, trying to recall how she got there, searching for an escape. Eventually, she dozes off.”
“The clock strikes seven.”
“She wakes with a start, wracked with pain. Her breathing is labored, and she is dizzy and confused. Her arms ache, her legs sting against the cool air. Sitting up agitates her lower abdomen terribly. Her throat feels tight and raw, nearly swollen shut.”
“She rolls out of bed, falls to the floor. Everything hurts. She sits up, facing away from the mirror.”
“She turns and glares at the mirror from the corner of her eye. Crescent-shaped bruises pepper her arm. She looks down, sees identical injuries. Long scratches trace from her foot up to her thigh. She sees a thick mark encircling her neck, growing darker. She shoves her head back into her dress, searching desperately for a way to hide the mirror. Her bleary eyes comb the barren room as the grip on her neck tightens, bite marks drawing blood. The clock is about to strike eight.”
I’m dizzy now, but I can’t stop. My pen gushes ink.
“She drags the mattress to the mirror, leaving smeared red handprints. She sinks, triumphant, crawling back to her chair as the clock strikes eight.”
I drop the pen, smudging the start of the next line. I slump out of my chair, crawling to my bed, and flop face down onto the mattress, falling into a deep sleep.
I wake up, head aching, and drink water desperately. Finally satisfied, I return to my desk. Sheets filled with dark ink give way to bright red, culminating in half a page saturated with blood. I sigh, grab cleaning supplies, and mop up the ink. I settle into my chair, ready for another attempt.
“There is a girl, sitting in a room.
“She is wearing a simple dress, blue with a floral print. The room around her is nondescript and familiar. There is no door or window. There is an empty bed frame, a side table, and a chair, which this girl occupies. Behind this chair, there is a simple floor-length mirror, affixed to the wall. Above it, a clock, ticking quietly.”
I’m bleeding less too, you know.

I love my nephew. I want to start there. But he is a a bit of a chucklehead sometimes (he’s 14).
The package is also making its way through usps.
Well I was out but he was at my place killing time, and an eBay sale came through. Since he kind of collects figured he’d know what to do.
I told him to wrap the PSA slab with bubble wrap, and use the base cards in the “base cards shipping” box to keep it secure, use some packing paper, throw it in a bubble mailer, and slap a label on it (I could print the label remotely). When his dad picked him up, they dropped off the package at the post office and sent me the receipt. Seems fine.
This morning I go check the base cards to ship something else out, and 3/4 of them are gone. Nephew tells me he grabbed the slab, wrapped it in bubble wrap, threw bubble wrap in the envelops, and he used the cards like packing paper and just threw a bunch in there until no one could tell it was a slab by holding it.
Im not mad or anything. But as a buyer, if you opened an envelope like this would you be pissed?
And yes, this is my fault.

I've been trying to distance myself from one of my best friends I've had since the age of 14. We have always been competitive with certain things but there has always been a lot of love and respect between us. I would say for the past 7 or 8 years since I bought my first house this person has shown a lot of nastiness and jealousy towards me. He is a borderline alcoholic and has a lot of problems. He constantly projects his flaws on other people and I know I should feel sympathy and understanding but I constantly feel hate towards him.
I could write a novel of things that upset me about him but some examples are: putting down my house (even though it is nice and well maintained), making fun of my dogs and the fact I dont have kids, being sloppy and making messes with food in my house, taking jabs at me in front of other people (a lot), making judgements about my wife being too thin (shes not), etc.
That is not to say I'm this great person in comparison. I have said some pretty horrible things to him and dressed him down good in front of people by bringing up past mistakes hes made and embarrassing him. The bottom line is I dont like being around him especially with my other friends and many times I dont like the person I am with him.
Two years ago he got into a nasty blow out fight with one of our other friends "Q" (37M) and Q completely cut J off for a year. Due to a close family death in J's family late last year Q and J reconciled, but the entire time J was cut out, our group of friends had great times. There was never any drama, never had to worry about J making me feel uncomfortable or pissed off.
To wrap it up - This year J has been trying to host get togethers and be back with the group and I just dont want to be a part of it. I feel guilty because I am basically the "connector" of our friends group. So when I say I can't make it, most others will back out too. I had a conversation with one of my other friends B (39M) about how I feel about J and he feels the same way. But others are just following my lead and I dont want that. I dont want to be the reason this guy has no friends and its making me feel guilty.
He wants to hang out tomorrow and I already had tentative plans with B. B refuses to go to J's house because he doesnt like it there (kids, chaos, etc) so B and I were going to golf and hang out at my place. When our other friend Q (who had the blow out with J) found out about this he bailed on J and wants to hang out with us instead. So now we have this plan behind J's back and I feel guilty.
As I get older I feel like I should just do what makes me happy. I told myself today to stop worrying about everything else. Do what makes you happy. Maybe one day after a break I'll feel different about J, but right now I should do what I want. If I truly stand behind that its liberating. But here I am writing my story because I do still feel the guilt. I also feel that if I were a more confident, self assured person then the things J says wouldnt bother me. So maybe I should suck it up, be better, and try to fix this.